Little Runaway
by GhostWriter1412
Summary: When every member of her family is busy and noone has time for her, Bra decides to do what she thinks every sane person would do: she decides to run away from home. What will her family do when neither Vegeta nor Trunks can just track her ki?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfiction that - from the very beginning - was meant to have more than a single chapter!

Bulma is the head of a huge company, Vegeta is always busy with his training and their son Trunks is supposed to one day take Bulma's place at Capsule Corp.

When all three of them are busy, little Bra feels all alone... and decides to do what she thinks every sane person would do: run away from home!

Enjoy and please review (all kinds of reviews are welcome)!**  
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**Little Runaway**

Eight year old Bra held up the bracelet proudly, once again comparing it to the one her mother had made. They looked exactly alike. She also checked the plan her mother had drawn for the device, making sure that she hadn't forgotten anything. Nope, everything had been done accordingly. Her mum would be so proud of her!

She smiled happily and hopped off her desk chair, making her way to her mum's lab, all the while looking at her newest accomplishment. It wasn't an ordinary bracelet, but one that had the capability to suppress the ki of the person who wore it, making said person undetectable. It had been like a puzzle to Bra, getting all the pieces into the right places, making hers match her mother's.

Bra rounded a corner and suddenly heard her mother talking. Cracking open the door to the lab she looked inside and saw her mum pacing back and forth. She was wearing a tight red dress underneath her lab coat and her pumps clicked on the floor with each step. "But there has to be a way… Yes. I think so. I can do it. Sure. My secretary will…" The rest of what Bulma said was lost to Bra because it sounded senseless to her as her mother used words she didn't know the meaning of.

"Mum?" Bra asked, stepping inside, looking up at her mother. Bulma looked at her for a second, surprised to see her but was almost immediately distracted by the person on the other end of the phone. "Yes, of course. One second please." she said to the other person, her eyes only returning to Bra for a second. "I'm busy right now, sweetie. I'm sure we can talk later." she mouthed to her daughter and then turned her full attention to her phone call again.

Bra opened her mouth to argue but felt dejected instantly when her mother didn't spare her so much as a second glance. She bit her lower lip. "Then I'm going to show Trunks. He'll be proud of me." she thought, turning on her heels. As if he had been called her big brother opened the door she had used as well, an exercise book in hand. "Mother, there is something I need your help with." he said, barely looking up from the school material in his hands. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Trunks." Bulma replied and her son nodded, turning to go back to his room.

"Trunks?" Bra asked, gripping a handful of her brother's trousers. "Not right now, Bra." Trunks said, patting her head once. "I have to study." And then he was gone, leaving her standing there. Bra sniffed as tears threatened to come. This wasn't fair. She'd spent all week working on the bracelet, keeping it a secret from everyone as best as she could so she would be able to surprise them once she was done. And now they couldn't even take a minute of their time to praise her and look at what she'd accomplished.

Bra left the laboratory, heading to the entrance door. Her emotions were a confusing mix of anger and hurt, making her stomp her feet on the ground as she walked. How dare they? How could they not acknowledge her hard work? She came to a halt as she reached the doors that led to their lawn and the doors immediately opened to let her through. Wasn't her work important? Wasn't _she_ important?

She walked outside, glancing at the GR. She could hear her father training inside as the GR shook every now and then, making her sigh. It was not a good idea to disturb her father's training. She'd seen Trunks and her mother do that a couple of times and… well it didn't exactly put her dad into the best of moods. Her ears had rung for hours after he'd last screamed at Trunks for 'being a nuisance'. She didn't want to test his patience.

She turned and went back inside. So her mother was busy with work, her brother was studying and her father was training… She sniffed, looking at the bracelet that she was still holding in her left hand. A determined look settled on her features as her tiny hands balled into fists. She was tired of nobody having time for her. She had had enough. She had made up her mind. She'd do what she thought every sane person in her position would do: she'd run away from home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Runaway (Chapter 2)**

Bra hurried to her room and pulled a backpack out of one of her many drawers. She didn't have anything bigger so this would have to do. She put the bracelet inside her pants pocket and packed the things she thought she'd need. Clothes, a flashlight, her teddy and a small pocket knife she had once stolen from her brother. Then she went downstairs and into the kitchen, packing some water bottles and food. She frowned then, thinking hard. What else would she need? Pan had told her a story that her father had told her. A story about how he'd lived in the wilderness for half a year. Had Pan mentioned anything else her father had had?

Then it struck her. Of course! Pan had said that her father had had a sword with him. Bra contemplated that for a second. Her brother had a sword, too. He had once told her that he'd gotten it from a guy called Tapion… Luckily he didn't keep it in his room. Bulma had forbidden it when Bra was still very little, afraid her daughter might hurt herself. There had been a higher chance of the little girl wandering in her brother's room than one of the many storage rooms. So instead Trunks had had to keep it in one of those.

Now Bra made her way to where the sword was hidden, careful not to make any noises. "As if they'd care." she thought than, which renewed her anger a little. She saw the thing she had been looking for as soon as she opened the door and switched the lights on. She picked it up, surprised at the weight of the item. It was too big to fit inside her backpack, too. She put the backpack on the floor and strapped the sword to her back by closing the fastening in front of her chest. She nodded happily as she slid her backpack back on. With the sword underneath it wasn't exactly comfortable, but it would have to do.

She took a deep breath, left the room and made her way to the back door, toying with the bracelet she had pulled from her pocket. She would have to use this or she would be easily traceable by her ki. It would probably take her family a few hours to realize that she was gone, but they would notice. At the latest when it was time for dinner. Her mother would call her name and if she didn't come, her mum would check her room… to find it empty and messy - since she hadn't bothered to clean up after rummaging through her closet for things to wear. Bra knew that they would be worried, at least for some time. Then they'd get over it. After all, they all had their lives and apparently they didn't need her in them. So she would have to find her own way.

She stepped into the midday sun then, raising her head to look at the blue sky. She had to concentrate a little in order to levitate into the air. Pan had told her that in order to fly all she had to do was put her energy underneath her that it would hold her up. At the time Bra had faked disinterest but had secretly taught herself how to do it afterwards. It had taken her a week but then she had been able to fly. Now she was very glad that she had learned, as she put on the bracelet and flew into the sky, away from the place that had always been her home.

Three hours later Bulma was walking towards the room of her daughter, faintly remembering that Bra had wanted to talk to her. She had been in the middle of a very important conversation and after that had helped Trunks with the problem he had had. Then the phone had rung again, making her forget about her daughter's appearance in the lab for a time. But then she'd remembered and had immediately felt guilty. With a big breakthrough with an invention on the horizon she had been more busy lately, scarcely able to make time for the attention that her little girl needed. Bulma sighed. She'd think of a way to make it up to her as soon as could.

"Bra?" Bulma asked, opening the door to her daughter's room as soon as she reached it. The sight that greeted her made her blink in surprise. A weird, unpleasant feeling made her stomach churn. Clothes were scattered across the floor, a few desk drawers left open and her teddy bear gone from her bed. "Bra?" Bulma called again, but this time her voice had a nervous edge. There was no answer. Bulma turned and made her way to her son's room that wasn't too far from her daughter's. She didn't bother to knock but just opened the door, making her son look up in surprise.

"Where's your sister?" she asked while trying to calm herself down mentally. "Maybe she was just angry that you made her wait so long… sometimes she can have quite a temper…" she thought. But then again, her daughter had never gone rock star on her room. "I don't know." he said, his forehead creasing at the look in his mother's eyes. "Search for a key." Bulma commanded the uneasiness inside her building. Trunks sighed and closed his eyes. After little more than a second they reopened, a strange expression on his face. It was an expression that was a mix of surprise, worry and panic.

"I can't find her."

Bulma turned on the spot and ran to the GR as fast as she could, her heart racing. Oh God… her little baby girl… If Trunks wasn't able to feel her ki then she was certainly not on the grounds of Capsule Corp anymore. But why? What had happened?

When she arrived at her destination, she slammed her right hand against the door, bagging on it until it opened, revealing an aggravated Vegeta. "Woman! Damn it, what…" he trailed off as he saw the expression on his wife's face. "What's going on?" he asked, surprised as his son came running across the lawn, stopping next to his mother. Trunks looked at his mother, clearly waiting for her to deliver the bad news. "Brat!" Vegeta growled as his Bulma began to cry. Trunks looked at his father, gulping.

"Bra's gone."


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sorry for the wait. I had a lot of tests in school but hopefully I'll have more time to write now – at least for a while. Enjoy and please review.

Oh and about the reviews: thank you so much for those, they are highly appreciated!

**Little Runaway (Chapter 3)**

"What?" Vegeta snapped, glaring at his son. He immediately got his mind to work and scanned the area. Sure enough, the boy's statement was true. His daughter's ki was nowhere near the grounds of Capsule Corp. His stomach churned as he sent his senses out further, but her energy was nowhere to be found.

"What is going on?" he demanded of his son, trying to overpower his worry by getting angry. That usually worked, at least on the outside. "I don't know." Trunks replied, raising his hands defensively. "I was studying when mum came barging into my room, asking me where Bra is… and I couldn't tell, even after searching for her ki. I've never had any trouble finding her before… Can you sense her?"

Vegeta didn't answer, but turned his eyes to his wife instead. Trunks sighed, taking his father's silence as a no. "Damn. If even you can't find her, then who can?" Vegeta glared at the boy, nodding towards Bulma. Those were definitely the wrong words to say in front of the woman. She was shaking already, for what reason he couldn't tell. One of the things he loved about his wife – though he'd rather choke on the words than ever say them out loud – was that she was unpredictable and with her, one never knew how she was going to react. Right now he couldn't tell whether she was shaking because of fear, anger… or any other emotion. All he knew was that her ki was distressed and her posture was anything but calm.

"What happened?" Vegeta asked Bulma, his voice slightly gentler than when he had talked to his son. Her head had been bowed, but now she looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "I don't know. This morning she came into the lab while I was on the phone… I was busy all day and when I went to check on her… Vegeta, her room is a mess!" Her voice sounded panicked and shaky. Vegeta had not known how much Bulma relied on his and Trunks' ability to sense ki until he saw how very much it unsettled her when that ability failed.

But he couldn't concentrate on that now, he'd deal with his wife's anxiety after finding their daughter. He walked past Bulma, grabbed her wrist and dragged her with him. "A mess? Was anything broken?" A frown appeared on Bulma's forehead. "I'm… not entirely sure… but I don't think so." Vegeta nodded to himself, relieved. If she couldn't remember anything being broken then there was a high probability that there wasn't. Something as unsettling as broken furniture in her child's room… she would be able to remember something like that for sure.

Vegeta's next question was directed at his son. "Any sounds that seemed out of place?" If there had been anything louder than the volume of a normal conversation, Trunks would have been able to hear it. Especially since it had probably been very quiet in his room due to his studying and also because Bra's room wasn't far from his. Trunks' eyebrows pulled together as he thought about his father's question carefully. "No. Nothing out of the ordinary." he answered, running his fingers through his hair. Vegeta could feel that the boy was almost as distressed as his mother, but he did a much better job at hiding it. There was a feeling of pride in Vegeta's chest as he looked at his son for a second. Trunks had the capability to control himself if need be, a trait that was important for a warrior.

Vegeta stopped in front of Bra's room and Bulma stumbled into his unmoving form. The woman had told him that the room was a mess, but seeing it was still difficult for him. Of course he had seen the room before when it was anything but tidy. Bra had inherited her parents' temper and therefore threw a fit every now and then when things didn't go her way. But every time her room looked like this, she was there too. Vegeta could imagine her standing there, her hands on her hips, her face flushed red with anger and her normally beautiful features twisted into a furious scowl that rivaled his own. Now, without her there in the midst of the disarray, the room looked lifeless and dull, sending shivers down his spine. He didn't like this feeling. Not one bit.

Vegeta ignored the weird feeling in his stomach and walked into the room, looking at everything. And everything really meant everything. No detail was lost on him, the years during which being on his guard had been the only thing standing between him and certain death were engrained in him forever. His forehead creased. There were no signs of a struggle; nothing indicated that Bra had left the room against her will. Of course the fact that Trunks hadn't heard anything unusual added up to that as well.

"What's that?" Vegeta asked, nodding towards his daughter's desk. Bulma put one hand on his shoulder, following his gaze. "Those blueprints…" she murmured, the turmoil inside of her forgotten for a second. She walked past her husband and stopped at Bra's desk. "These are the plans for the bracelet that can suppress ki…" She picked up a rather circular, metallic object and showed it to him. "And there's the bracelet… but why…" She looked at the object and the plans in confusion, until she saw the tool that peered from under the plans. She lifted the paper in order to see what lay beneath. Different types of wrenches and a few small metallic objects, screws and screw nuts among them, came into view.

Vegeta made the conclusion at the same moment Bulma seemed to. Her mouth fell open and she stared at the utensils before her. "She duplicated it… a copy of this…" Her head snapped up and her eyes locked with Vegeta's. Trunks' seemed to catch on as well. "That's why we can't feel her? She copied your ki suppressing bracelet and she's wearing it right now?"

In a technical way it made sense and it was the most likely explanation to why they couldn't feel her ki. But something else confused Vegeta greatly. Why was she wearing the bracelet? And why wasn't she on the premises anymore? Because ki or no ki, Vegeta knew that she wasn't close by at the moment, knew it with every fiber of his being. Why would she suppress her ki? A sick feeling made Vegeta's stomach churn as a thought that made his blood run cold crossed his mind. Maybe she didn't want to be found.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, thank you for your nice reviews!

And since I saw that one person wrote her reviews in french: Merci beaucoup pour vos commentaires!

Enjoy and please review!**  
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**Little Runaway (Chapter 4)**

Bra looked around. The cave she had chosen to stay in for a while was not nearly as comfortable as her old home, but it would have to do for now. The forest she had found the cave in adjoined a wasteland full of giant rocks. She liked it here. It was not at all what she was used to and that was exactly what she needed. An adventure, new things to discover.

She dropped her backpack on the ground and laid the sword down next to it. Too late she realized that she should have brought some Hoi Poi Capsules, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Then she remembered something. She searched the left side pocket of her backpack and pulled out a capsule. She knew that there was a blanket and a pillow inside. Her mum had made this for her so she wouldn't have to carry so much when going on a sleepover. It wasn't much, but it was far better than nothing. She hadn't thought about bringing things that she'd need for sleep. She had just thought about what she'd need during the day. She frowned. And she had thought herself to be so clever…

She hadn't thought about school or her friends either… But she couldn't go back now. She had made up her mind and she'd stick with her decision. All of this was unimportant now; she had to concentrate on her future. She left the cave and decided to search for leaves. With a lot of leaves she would be able to make the ground more comfortable and she could also come to know her surroundings while searching.

Her father always told her brother that it was important to know the enemy. Trunks always rolled his eyes when their father started to talk as if there were foes lurking at every corner and then Vegeta would snap at him not to get too slack in times of peace. She could clearly remember that one time…

_Flashback_

Bra was sitting on the couch in the living room with Trunks right next to her. She was five and Trunks was humoring her by watching "The Swan Princess" with her after he had lost a bet. Trunks had wagered that Bra could not get her father to read a story to her, but Bra had used her wits and persuasion… and when that had failed she'd cried until Vegeta had snapped at her to "stop her wailing immediately" and complied. Grudgingly so, but her father had done it. And she was glad he had or otherwise she would have had to help Trunks clean his room. A task that she despised with all her heart. She didn't know why their mother made them clean their rooms themselves. They had robots for stuff like that, didn't they?

Of course Bra jumped at the opportunity when her father had given in to her demand. She had secretly taped it the whole thing, hiding the recorder under her pillow. Vegeta's voice was a little muffled, but whenever she couldn't sleep, she would listen to that recording, letting her father's gruff voice lull her to sleep. It was her very own lullaby.

Now they both watched as Odette refused Rothbart's proposal – again. "He's such a meanie. Trying to force her to marry him… If a guy ever does that to me, I'll clean his clock." Bra said, giving the evil sorcerer on the screen a hostile glare. Trunks made a strange sound that sounded like a mix of a snort and laughter. "If dad doesn't do it first… which would result in the guy's funeral." he murmured, almost too quiet for Bra to hear. Yeah, Bra thought, her dad would probably give the jerk a piece of mind. Just that her father rather talked with his fists, at least where these types of conversations were concerned.

They resumed watching the movie in silence. The complete quietness of the room, save the sounds coming from the TV of course, was the reason why Bra nearly jumped out of her skin when Trunks gave a startled yelp, lost his balance and fell off the couch. Her body tensed and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She was about to turn around when a familiar snort made her relax. "This is shameful… You should have been able to sense me, boy. You are way too slack. You should train more; sharpen your mind and body." Vegeta criticized and watched as his son stood up.

"No reason to give me a heart attack… Gripping my shoulder like that scared the hell out of me." Trunks emphasized his words by laying a hand on his chest as if trying to slow his heartbeat. Vegeta just raised an eyebrow. "As I said: slack. Times of peace are no excuse for neglecting your training." Bra had listened to these types of conversations often enough to know that she didn't want to hear much more of it.

"Hey, Daddy!" she therefore greeted, redirecting her father's attention. He nodded to her, silently acknowledging her presence. "Want to watch with us?" Bra asked, though she already knew that her father would decline. He had more than once said that watching TV was a complete waste of time. It wasn't that late anyway, just a little past sunset. "No, I just went inside to get something to drink." He patted the top of her head as he walked out which made Bra smile. She loved it when he did that.

Bra looked up at Trunks as he sat back down next to her, but his eyes were on their father as he turned a corner and thereby moved out of sight. Trunks shook his head a little. "He really does have a soft spot for you, doesn't he?" her brother whispered, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Why do you think that? He said no." Trunks just chuckled. "Never mind, Bra." She was about to argue, but her brother put an arm over her shoulders and she happily laid her head on his chest as she turned her eyes back to the screen.

_End of Flashback_

Bra looked up at the sky and bit her lower lip. She missed those things. Being patted on her head by her dad, cuddling up against her big brother… they hadn't had such moments in a long time. _Oh, quit being a baby,_ she chided herself. It was time to gather her leaves.


	5. Chapter 5

**Little Runaway (Chapter 5)**

Vegeta watched as his wife paced back and forth. "I don't get it." she said, mostly to herself, her eyes unseeing as she stared at the floor. "Why would she just leave with the bracelet? Normally she gleams with happiness after completing such a task… Why not show it to anyone? Why leave?" They had already ruled out the possibility that she had been taken away. After sifting through the mess that was her room they had realized that there was nothing that indicated a fight. And Bra would have fought… and probably screamed at the top of her lungs for that matter. Vegeta remembered the last time his daughter had screamed while in a rage and winced. She had definitely inherited her mother's lungs.

And Trunks would have heard a fight and the same applied to his sister's screams. So they had had to consider that Bra had just left. So that was their current topic. Vegeta and his son sat on the couch in the living room while Bulma walked holes into the soft carpet. Vegeta was just as anxious. The girl was still so small and she had grown up in such a sheltered environment. There were tons of things that could happen to her while out there and now he berated himself for not having trained her. Bulma hadn't wanted him to because 'Bra was a lady and ladies did not fight' and at the time he had thought that it didn't really matter. If the little one ever got herself into trouble then he'd be there and tear the person to shreds who dared to lay a finger on her. But now things had gotten out of hand. He didn't know where she was, couldn't find her.

His train of thought was interrupted when Trunks spoke. "What if she did?" Vegeta looked at him. "What are you talking about, boy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his son. Trunks forehead was creased and his elbows rested on his knees. His lavender hair was falling into his eyes, but he was only looking at his feet, his eyes as unfocused as Bulma's had been. The woman was now paying attention to her son, her gaze puzzled because of his words. "Well… she came to the lab, right? She wanted to talk to you." Trunks looked up at his mother when he uttered that last part. "Yes, she did. But she wouldn't just leave because of me not having time for her. She'd just go to you." Bulma replied with a shrug, thinking that there had to be another reason. But Trunks winced at her words.

"She did." He murmured a slight note of shame in his voice. "Why didn't you say so before, boy? What did she say?" Vegeta growled, unhappy with the weird look on his son's face. What was the problem? Trunks threaded one hand through his hair. "I don't know." "What do you mean 'you don't know', Trunks? This is important! Your sister is missing!" Bulma said, aghast. "I know that!" the young man snapped at his mother, earning a surprised look from Vegeta. Trunks never raised his voice against his mother; sometimes it even seemed as if he was scared of her. Not that Vegeta blamed him for that. Part of why he loved Bulma was that she was fiercer and more terrifying than some of the stronger warriors that he had faced in battle.

Trunks exhaled audibly and looked at Bulma, a slightly apologetic look in his eyes. "Just my name. That's all she said. She wanted to talk to me… but I didn't listen. I told her that I didn't have time and left. I just left!" Trunks shook his head, clearly at a loss for words. "If only I'd talked to her, listened to her…" Vegeta interrupted his rambling. "You think that's why she left? Because you didn't talk to her?" If Vegeta hadn't been so worried, he would have scoffed at the idea. There were much worse things. Trunks just shook his head, seemingly unable to answer his father. It seemed to dawn on Bulma what her son was getting at.

"I was busy… Trunks was busy…" she mumbled, but then stopped. "Did she talk to you, Vegeta?" she questioned, turning her attention to her husband. Trunks spoke before Vegeta could. "Are you kidding? Dad was training. Even a child much less smart than Bra would have realized by now that Dad absolutely hates it when someone interrupts his training." Bulma gulped as that sank in. Vegeta still didn't understand what the big deal was. This didn't exactly equal an apocalypse in his mind.

"She was alone." Bulma whispered. Vegeta's forehead creased at those words. "She's smart, surely she would have found a way to preoccupy herself." he said, confused as one emotion after another washed over Bulma's face. First it was horror, then guilt and finally there was sadness, as if she had failed. "She is eight, Vegeta. This had nothing to do with rationality. She probably felt abandoned and hurt. I should have… I'm her mother… I shouldn't have…Oh my god, what if she won't come back?"

Vegeta didn't understand why it was so bad to be alone. That meant that no one was hurting you, right? But then again Bra hadn't had his life… which he was beyond thankful for. And she was a girl. Who knew what went on inside the head of a female? He didn't understand what his wife was talking about, why she was so upset. But he understood with perfect clarity what her last statement meant and his heart sank at the heartbroken expression on his wife's face. Then his fists clenched. Damn, he'd find his daughter and if it was the last thing he ever did.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry it took so long, but you know teachers, they always find something that coud'd just **love** to spend your free time with (What? No, of course that wasn't sarcasm! Then again, maybe it was...)

Thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot to me!

**Enjoy and please review!**

**Little Runaway (6)**

Bra cringed as she heard the loud bang of thunder. Her shoulders slumped and she trembled. God, she absolutely hated thunderstorms. Lightning flashed and illuminated her frightened features and Bra pulled her blanket up to her chin. This wasn't going as planned. She had planned on being completely fearless, just like her Dad, while out on her own. And now there she was, quaking in her little boots as she pressed herself into a corner that was as far away from the entrance of her cave as possible. It was humiliating but she couldn't stop her trembling.

She was mad at herself for it, but she wished that her father or brother were here. She always felt save when the two of them were around. Granted, her brother got angry at her sometimes for being so 'clingy' and they fought with each other quite often. Her Dad on the other hand could be really gruff, talking about feelings with him was a complete no go and he'd always tell her to 'go annoy her mother with it'. But no matter what, she could always count on them when she was the most desperate. And she missed her mum. Bulma would always tell her that everything would be alright and that she didn't have to be scared. Her mum always said that her Dad would never let anyone hurt her. Like that one time…

_Flashback_

Bra sat on the couch in the living room with her mother beside her, a hot cup of chocolate in her hands. They were watching TV together while her mother also sifted through some files on her laptop. Her mother began to pay more attention to what was said on television as the news started.

There was a rather pretty young woman – though of course not as pretty as her mother, Bra decided easily - standing behind a desk. "Seven-year-old Emily Pierce has not yet been found. The little girl that was kidnapped last Monday on her way home from the playground has been searched high and low for but so far to no avail. The investigations are still going strong." the woman said, her expression very serious. Bra turned her head away from the screen and looked at her mother. "What does 'kidnapped' mean, mom?" she asked, only five years old and unable to comprehend.

Bulma sighed as she turned to her youngest, struggling to find a way to explain. She didn't want to introduce her little baby to the harsh reality of the world just yet and kidnapping wasn't exactly on the list of things she wanted to discuss with the young girl. But she was her mother and she would have to answer the child's questions.

"Kidnapping means that you take someone with you against their will." Bulma wanted to keep her reply rather short, hoping that Bra would drop the topic. But of course the knowledge-hungry girl wasn't satisfied so easily. "Why would someone do that?" she wanted to know, biting her lower lip. "Well... some people demand money in exchange for the release of the kidnapped person and other kidnappings have a more... personal reason."

Bra's eyebrows rose. "Like what?" It was an innocent enough question, but Bulma didn't want to discuss abuse or rape with her little girl. So she shrugged instead, trying to end the topic. The child pouted for a second and then asked another question. "Does it happen often?" Bra thought of the picture of the girl she had seen on the TV only a minute before. She was young, barely older than her. "Well, too often for my liking but not terribly often."

Her mother looked at her, a frown on her beautiful face. "What is it, sweety?" Bra frowned, too, looking into the eyes of her mother that had the exact same color as her own. "Do they come back home often?" The question went unanswered and silence stretched between the two. "Nobody would try to kidnap me, would they?" Bulma looked at her, her expression a little shocked. Bra herself didn't know where the question had come from, but then again, maybe she did. The girl in the picture had been so young...

Suddenly her mother grinned. "Well, if someone ever dares to try then they are going to regret that for the rest of their lives... not that it's going to be a long one if your father has any say in it."

Bra felt her lips curl at the thought and even though she had her mother's hair and eyes, she knew that with that expression she resembled her father the most.

_End Flashback_

Bra sniffed. She missed her mother's smile. Geez, she even missed the ridiculous banter of her parents, the way they could turn the most insignificant of topics into an hour long verbal spar. And she hated the fact that she missed it. It had only been a day, one little, pathetic day, and already she felt the draw to return. She lay down on her self-made bed and closed her eyes, jerking whenever there was another boom of thunder. There was only one thing she had to do: she had to overcome this weakness.

* * *

><p>Bulma stood at the edge of her balcony, looking at the night sky that was illuminated by lightning. There was an ache in her chest and her hands gripped the railing tighter. Her little baby. Out there, all on her own. So alone.<p>

She felt his presence as soon as he stepped out on the balcony. The power that radiated from him shifted the air around her and comforted her in a strange, yet familiar way.

They had decided resting first to recover from the emotional stress they had all been under since they had discovered that Bra was simply gone. They would start searching for her tomorrow. Trunks and Vegeta would look for her from the air and she would initiate a private search party. They could not afford a big search, however. If word got out that the youngest member of the Briefs' family was missing, then things could get dangerous for Bra. There were a lot of people who were jealous of Capsule Corporation's success and would not refrain from using Bra for their own little agenda. Bulma sighed. Although they planned on resting for today she knew that she wouldn't get much sleep. She was way too worried.

"You should go inside. It's getting cold." Vegeta said, interrupting her train of thought. There was no emotion in his voice as he stared at the sky. Bulma didn't know how to say what she wanted to without sounding ridiculously weak, so she just touched his shoulder. And he understood her, following her inside.

Although it was very uncharacteristic for him and Bulma couldn't remember the last time he had done it, that night, as they lay in their bed, Vegeta held her in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Wow, it has been quite a while hasn't it? Sorry for the long wait! Don't worry, the story will be continued!**_

_**Enjoy and please review!  
><strong>_

**Little Runaway (Chapter 7)**

As soon as Bulma had finally fallen asleep Vegeta softly pulled out of bed, careful not to wake his wife. He opened the French window soundlessly and slipped out into the night. He looked back at the sleeping form of the woman, content that she was resting. It had been rather hard to come to an 'agreement' with her, but he excepted no less from the fierce woman he considered his own.

_Flashback_

"You can't be serious!" Bulma screeched, pointing a finger at Vegeta warningly. "Do I look like I'm jesting, woman?" he asked, a scowl on his face. "You want us to _rest_? Our little girl is out there, Vegeta! Could you really just lie down and _sleep_?" Her voice was ear-piercing and Vegeta winced, his sensitive ears ringing with the noise she was making.

"Well, what's your plan? It's getting dark and there is no way you can start with your search today... not that some ridiculous search party consisting of pathetic humans is going to help anyway! The boy and I will not be able to find her in the dark, too. So what would you have us do?" There was a rather long silence. "I can't sit around and do nothing, Vegeta! She's my little baby! For God's sake, she's only eight! Did you ever think about how many horrible things can happen to an eight year old when she's all by herself? Did you?"

One of Vegeta's eyebrows rose. "Trunks was eight when he fought Boo." But it wasn't the same and they both knew it. Trunks had been strong, a super saiyan. Bra was a little girl who had always been reassured by the fact that her brother and father were there and would always guarantee her safety. "Besides, she's got herself to blame for this in the first place. She shouldn't have run off for no reason."

Bulma's mouth opened and Vegeta knew that she was going to yell at him so he beat her to it. "That aside, you didn't sleep at all yesterday because of that damn project you're working on. You are practically dead on your feet, woman. And you're going to sleep tonight, whether you want to or not." The threat was evident and the air suddenly seemed heavy and hard to breathe. Trunks, who had backed away from his parents as soon as they started fighting, duck his head, preparing for his mother's tirade.

"You jerk!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "You can't make me!" Her husband just stared into her eyes, making it clear that his threat wasn't idle. "I beg to differ" was all he said and Bulma began to hit his chest. She knew that he was right and the frustration of not being able to do anything was eating at her. Her energy quickly faded and her punches grew weaker until her hands were almost moving in slow motion. "Go to bed. You need the rest." His words would have seemed harsh if he hadn't been holding her wrists gently. She just nodded.

_End Flashback_

Vegeta sighed. He'd told her that searching in the dark was futile and that he wasn't going to do it... Well, he'd lied. Fuck the dark, he was going to search for his daughter. And when he found the little brat she was going to get an earful. What the hell was going on in that girl's head? Running off like that was just plain stupid.

He shook his head and spoke, "What are you doing?" Trunks was there, almost completely hidden in the shadows, sitting on the balcony railing. "You know what I'm doing, Dad."

Vegeta scowled at him, making it very clear that he was not pleased with his son's actions. "You heard what I said, son." Trunks shrugged and stepped into the faint moonlight. "And I know why you said it. You didn't want Mum to pull an all-nighter and we both know that she would have if you hadn't convinced her that searching for Bra in the middle of the night was pointless. You didn't fool me, though. Then again, you probably wouldn't have fooled Mum either, if she hadn't been so jazzed..." A sly smile spread over Trunks' face. "It's kind of cute, actually. You taking care of mum like that, that is."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed at his son and his former unfriendly scowl became downright menacing. "Careful, boy." Trunks sighed. He knew when to call it quits.

"Any plan of action?" he asked his father instead as they both left the ground. Vegeta kept silent for a few seconds as they slowly flew higher. "That depends. Do you know how this bracelet works?"

Trunks blinked a couple of times before replying. "Sure. You know that Mum likes to brag about it when she invents something new. So she showed me how it works." His father nodded, a faint smile touching his lips for a split second.

"The way it suppresses Ki... does it only suppress the Ki of the person wearing it or does it suppress the Ki within a certain radius while being worn?", Vegeta questioned, all of his senses active as he searched the premises for anything that could possibly help him to find Bra.

Trunks brows drew together. "Interesting thought. It works like this: If the bracelet is unfastened, then it doesn't do anything at all. But once the bracelet is fastened then all the Ki within a two meter is intangible to others." Trunks took a look at his father. Vegeta's face seemed unreadable, but Trunks knew what was on his mind.

"Do you think we can actually search for an area with _no _Ki?" he asked his father, aghast. The idea seemed almost mad... but then again they didn't have any other options. But still... "It's only a two meter radius, Dad, that's like searching for a needle in a haystack!"

Vegeta gave his son an annoyed glance. "Give me a better option, boy! If you have one, I'd be happy to listen to your annoying prattle, if however you do have nowhere to go with this, then please cease talking. It's irritating and I can't concentrate."

Vegeta knew that he was being – maybe unnecessarily – harsh on his son, but he couldn't help it. His nerves were as taut as a wire, his muscles tense and he was beginning to have a heading from worrying so goddamn much. He wasn't used to the feeling and he most certainly didn't like it.

"What do we do, then? Split up?" Trunks asked, surveying the area with all his senses. Vegeta stopped in mid-air, looking at his son. "Yes. Your sister can fly, but she's not that skilled at it and can't keep at it for that long... She can't be that far away, probably within a radius of thirty miles... It's probably the best if we search different directions, we can cover more ground that way." Vegeta fell silent for a second as he saw the shame and guilt from earlier flash across his son's face once more.

"Trunks." The boy had been looking at the dark sky, but know his head snapped back and he looked his father straight in the eyes. "It's not your fault. Her actions were those of a overreacting, hormone-ridden young girl. Noone could have foreseen that she would do such a thing, Trunks. The best we can do right now is search for her..." His voice dropped an octave. "...and give her a piece of our mind when we find her."


	8. Chapter 8

**_Here's the newest - slightly longer - chapter!_**

******_Enjoy and please be so kind and leave a review, let me know if you like the way the story is going!_****  
><strong>

**Little Runaway (8)**

The sound of chirping birds was what woke Bra up the next morning. She squeezed her eyes shut and drew her blanket closer, surprised by the chillingly cold air that surrounded her. Then she began to remember... she sat up in a rush, looking around like a startled doe that had been blinded by headlights.

Sure enough she was inside the cave she had chosen the day before. There was a dense fog that was licking at the entrance and made the whole thing seem even more surreal... For a second Bra considered curling up beneath her blanket once more and pretending like she was back at home in her warm and comfortable bed...

She frowned. No that wouldn't do. She wasn't some whiny little brat that would not live up to her own decisions. Her father would certainly be disappointed if she were...

She got up, shivering violently as soon as her blanket fell from her body and onto the ground of the cave. She got dressed for the day, donning her warm jacket so that she wouldn't freeze in the cold morning air. She began to leave the cave when she looked back, spotting her brother's sword leaning against the cave's wall.

She walked back slowly, gripping the weapon in her small hands. She looked at the fog for a second, imagined the dangerous things that might be lurking inside the obscure mist. She strapped the sword to her back, her gaze determined as she walked outside. _Those things should better be careful. They had surely never dealt with a member of the Briefs-family before._

She walked through the woods, careful not to fall as she made her way past roots, tree trunks and bushes. All her senses were on alert as she listened to the wood coming to life, animals waking and leaves rustling in the light breeze. Every little sound had her jerking to face another direction, her hands inching towards the hilt of her sword above her right shoulder...

Suddenly she saw light ahead, light that seemed to shine through the trees in front of her. Her steps quickened as she neared the place where the light seemed to come from, her curiosity drowning out her cautiousness.

She blinked and stopped in her tracks as she finally got out of the forest and saw what lay before her. She had thought that the only things she was going to find out here were the forest and the wasteland, but now as she looked onto what lay in front of her she had to remedy that assumption.

A meadow spread out in front of her, beautifully colored by several kinds of flowers. Out here the sun shone through the mist, making it seem like the scene out of a fairy tale rather than the horror-movie version Bra had just walked through.

That wasn't what held Bra's attention, however, but rather the big wooden house that she could make out in the distance. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the building, a sign of civilization she wouldn't have expected to see.

Her earlier fear forgotten she started running towards the house, excited by the discovery and keen on exploring it. As she got closer she realized that the property seemed abandoned, the windows were partly boarded-up and the wood with which the house had been built was old and looked like it had seen better days.

Bra came to a standstill when she was still several yards away. She frowned as she looked at the ground. She crouched down and took a better look at the grass. It was snapped off and trampled down a lot in front of the building... and it seemed like it had happened rather recently.

Suddenly Bra heard a strange sound and her head snapped up instinctively... just in time to see a rock flying towards her head.

"Are you crazy? You can't just throw stuff at people!" Those were the first words Bra heard when her consciousness returned to her. The voice seemed to be that of a girl, probably older than Bra, judging from the way she spoke. Bra tried to open her eyes, but the light hurt her already throbbing head even more so she squeezed them shut again.

"How was I supposed to know that it was a girl? From that high up I thought she was an animal! I just wanted to frighten it away!" The voice seemed to be that of a younger boy and the defensive tone he used indicated that he had...

_Someone threw a rock at me! _Bra memory returned, the last image being that of rock flying toward her, shocking her and freezing her in place. Despite the pain in her head she now tried to move, get away from the people who seemed to be responsible for her headache.

She opened her eyes, wincing at the pain that shot through her system as soon as the light flooded the rods in her eyes, blinding her for a second before her vision cleared.

Before her stood four people and she could make out a few others in the back, standing by the entrance to the house. _So the house isn't abandoned! _She focused on the four people directly in front of her as they seemed to be a more immediate threat than those who looked like they were to afraid to even leave the building.

It was amazing how what her father had said to her brother about fighting in the past now came to her mind, even though the words hadn't even been meant for her ears at the time. _Always look for weaknesses in your opponents, don't attack randomly. A well placed blow can get you more than several imprudent ones..._

Bra first looked at all four quickly, getting an idea of what she was dealing with. To the very left there was a girl, probably two or three years older than her and about a head taller. Next to her stood an older boy, almost a young man, maybe as old as her brother. On the right there were two younger boys who looked identical, both probably the same age as Bra.

Now that Bra had gotten a first impression she focused on the oldest, the one who seemed to be the most threatening of them all. He was tall and though he wasn't nearly as built Trunks he seemed to know physical work, had the body of someone who knew how to fight. But Bra noticed that he seemed to favor his right leg, almost as if the left one had been injured...

Bra stumbled several steps back, drawing her sword. Maybe the threat the weapon posed would keep them from trying to hurt her, but if not... she eyes the injured left leg of the older boy. _Noone messes with a member of the Briefs-family and gets away unscathed._

Despite all her bravado she felt cold sweat trickling down her neck and her hands shook on the hilt of her sword, making it look like the sword was vibrating. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

The girl to the left lifted her hands like criminals did when trying to show to a police officer that they were unarmed.

"Noone's going to hurt you. I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding... It would be smart if some of us" she shot a pointed glare at one of the look-alike boys, making one of them cringe as if he felt guilty "would actually think before acting on stupid impulses. We didn't mean for you to get hurt."

_Not trying to hurt me? _Bra lowered her weapon, but shot a glance at the biggest of them all, unsure if she was able to take the girls word for it. In a weird way the boy seemed to understand what she was thinking... and crouched down so he was on the same eye-level as her.

"We won't lay a finger on you, I swear." his voice was low and soothing, reminding her so much of...

_Flashback_

Bra sat inside her closet, her knees drawn to her chest. She was shaking and she held her knees to her body with more strength than necessary.

Suddenly the door to her closet was ripped open and a shadow fell over Bra that was being illuminated from behind, making it seem even bigger, more frightening. Bra's eyes got wide and she tried to retreat further back into the closet, but the wooden wall behind her stopped her short.

"Bra?" Bra blinked as she recognized the voice... and as her eyes got used to the light she could also see a familiar face. "Trunks?" She blinked, only now realizing that she had tears in her eyes as they began to roll down her cheeks. She looked up at her brother... and then she knew.

"You idiot!" she screamed, getting up and kicking her brother's shin. "You jackass! That was you! You and Goten! You are the most stupid, most ignorant..." Her voice broke on a sob that shook her whole body. They had planned all of this!

Earlier today they had told her spine-chiller about ghosts attacking during sunset, ghosts who attacked little girls that then never returned... And just now they had terrified her, jumping at her from behind while wearing white sheets over their bodies... looking exactly like ghosts.

She had been so frightened, had run for her very life and escaped to her room, hiding in her closet...

Now her brother crouched down before her, opening his mouth, meaning to say something... but no words escaped his mouth. He watched her standing there, fists balled at her sides, her little body shaking with a mix of fright and rage...

"I'm sorry." he said, running the fingers of his right hand through his hair. "I thought it would make you jump or something, not that it would scare you like crazy. I didn't mean to frighten you." Bra gave him a disbelieving look.

"Okay, maybe a little, but certainly not like that... I truly am sorry." Trunks held out his other hand for her and - though Bra was still angry with him for scaring her and though she knew that later she was going to get revenge in one way or another – she took it and let him hug her, calming her down...

_End Flashback_

Bra lowered her sword and then put in back inside the sheath that was still strapped to her back. Everyone around her seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief at that and a kind of tension seemed to leave their bodies.

The boy smiled. "Hi there. What's your name?" Bra blinked, startled by the rather normal question amid such an extraordinary situation. Then again, maybe it wasn't extraordinary to this guy. Who knew? Maybe things like this – an unconscious girl and a sword pointed at him – was an everyday event around here...

"I'm Bra." The girl to the right raised an eyebrow at her name, but didn't comment. The big boy smiled and stood, stepping aside so Bra could have a better view of the old mansion. "My name is Caleb. Welcome to Orphelinat, Bra."

_**AN: For those who'd like to know: Orphelinat is**_ **_a french word for orphanage_****_!_**


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the long wait. I'm having my A-level-tests in the next 2 weeks so I'm mostly going to be studying, but after that things should slow down some!**  
><strong>

So the next chapter will probably be up in about two weeks!

Feel free to review! Oh, and I'll have a little question for you guys at the end!

**Little Runaway (9)**

Bra stood at one of the many windows of the old building, one of her hands on the window still as she looked at the green grass that surrounded the mansion. Everyone here called the building Orphelinat... and to them it seemed to be more than a mere building. It was a sanctuary, a save haven where they felt more secure than anywhere else in the world.

When Caleb and the other three had told her that she should come inside and get to know everyone, Bra had been rather suspicious, not quite trusting those strangers. But Caleb had seemed like an honest person to her – and there was an uncanny resemblance to her brother, one that seemed to make her unable to refuse his offer.

So she had entered the building with them.

Inside she had seen so many faces... All of those faces belonged to children, some of them even younger than her. Caleb and the girl she had met outside seemed to be the oldest of them and the way all the others looked at those two made it clear that the two were their role-models. They looked up to them in a way children normally looked up to their parents. And within a split second Bra saw her speculation confirmed: these were orphans, kids without parents.

The rest added up to that as well: an old house that was dearly in the need of a renovation, the fact that the property seemed to be abandoned if one didn't look closely enough, the amount of children...

The door to the room Bra was in opened and the girl she had met outside entered.

"Sorry for the wait... the others were quite curious about you." She smiled, showing dimples. "Can't say I blame them, but having them all in a single room at once asking questions can be pretty overwhelming, not to mention chaotic..." The girl sat down on a wooden chair that stood in the room and flipped her hair back.

She was rather pretty and if Bra hadn't been used to unusual colors where hair and eyes were concerned then she probably would have been overwhelmed by the girls intense coloring. Her hair was a deep red and her eyes were the most piercing green that Bra had ever seen.

Those green eyes were very friendly and non-threatening as she smiled now. "My name's Annatolia... but please just call me Ann. I'm really sorry for what happened with Tevin out there." Bra raised an eyebrow. Huh. So Tevin was the name of one of the boys from outside... The name of the boy who had thrown that goddamn stone at her head, to be more precise.

Ann misread her facial expression and answered what she thought to be an unspoken question. "He was the one who threw the stone. He was outside with us, together with his twin-brother Luca... " she sighed. "Those two can be so much trouble, sometimes the rest of the kids combined are easier to handle..." The last part sounded like Ann had said it to herself rather than Bra so Bra didn't comment.

She was thinking about something else entirely anyway. When Ann had thought that Bra hadn't made the connection between the name 'Tevin' and the boy from outside immediately, she had given Bra an idea. Maybe it would be smart to not let them know how intelligent she was, maybe she should even let them think that she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed... It would hurt her pride, yes, but being underestimated was a useful advantage and since she still wasn't entirely sure if she was able to trust them...

The door opened once more, interrupting Bra's thoughts. Caleb entered, giving her a quick smile as he shut the door behind him. He had a glass of water in hand that he handed to Ann. Their eyes met and as the girl quietly mouthed "Thank you." Bra realized something that she hadn't before. _They're a couple._

Watching them make googly-eyes at each other it seemed to be beyond obvious and for a second Bra wondered how she had possibly managed to miss this fact before. Then again, she had had other worries back then. Bra was tempted to clear her throat in order to make them snap out of it, but before she could do that Caleb broke the eye-contact, turning his attention to Bra.

"I'm sorry if we scared you... Tevin has a reputation for acting before he thinks... I'm glad you weren't seriously injured." Caleb took a seat on the bed that stood in one corner of the room, never breaking eye contact with her as he did so. "He feels really sorry, too. He wanted to come here with me to apologize, but if we let him in then they will all want to and, well, that will only end in disaster... I hope you're not angry at him."

Bra blinked, then smiled. "Of course not... Such things happen, right?" she answered sweetly, her expression innocent. _Not angry at him, my ass. That idiot almost gave me a one way ticket to the morgue. I should rip off his head and play soccer with it... _Bra sighed. _That's what Dad would do._

"Well some things around here might be a little crazy, but thankfully such incidents don't happen _that_ often..." Caleb said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He was about to say something else when there suddenly was the sound of an engine that broke the silence, making him jump up from the bed. He looked out the window and cursed.

His expression darkened. "Trouble, Ann. They're back... and they've brought their friends with them."

* * *

><p>Vegeta punched a ten feet tall rock, making it crack open wide like an egg. It did nothing to ease his frustration.<p>

He hadn't found his daughter and now he had to go back before Bulma woke up and realized he was gone. The only thing that eased his mind somewhat was the knowledge that he would be out searching for Bra again as soon as Bulma was awake and he could leave again. Officially this time.

As he burst into flight he cursed. He was sure that Trunks hadn't been able to find out anything either. His son would have either come to him or signaled him by raising his Ki, but Trunks had done neither.

Vegeta had hoped, though he should have known better, that he would find Bra during the night and that he'd be able to bring her back home. Where she belonged.

For a short time he had also considered not returning to Capsule Corp at all, but the thought of his wife, waking up all alone made him dismiss that course of action. He didn't want her to be alone when she remembered what had happened the day before, when she remembered that their eight-year-old daughter was out there somewhere by herself.

When he reached Capsule Corp he landed on the balcony that adjoined to his and Bulma's bedroom. He slipped into the room... to find it empty.

_Since I have finally figured out how this st__ory is going to end I can now say that there will be about__ 5 more chapters! (It depends on how detailed I write everything but since I don't like brushing by things it'll probably be a little more).__  
><em>

_When I am done with this I have ideas for two stories and if u want to you can let me know in a review which one you'd prefer to read:__  
><em>

_A) A Bulma&Vegeta-story: After Bulma breaks up with Yamcha she suddenly finds herself the center of attention of one of her employees at Capsule Corp. After an incident that leaves Bulma no other choice but to fire the employee a lot of accidents start happening in her life... and when one ends up nearly killing her she begins to feel scared. Suddenly she also finds herself surprised by the fact that Vegeta seems to be spending less and less time inside the gravity room and more and more time... by her side? Could the Prince of All Sayians actually be trying to protect her? (Rated: T ; might change) _

_B) A Trunks&OC-story (OC because I don't like Marron and I also don't like Trunks being paired with a girl not even half his age[namely Pan]): Trunks Briefs is good-looking, strong and rich, a combination that seems to get him everything he wants, especially where women are concerned. One of his smiles easily gets them to their knees... or into his bed. Just when he thinks that no female could ever resist him he meets Amber... and realizes that not only is she well-capable of resisting his charms, she also seems like she could be too much for even him to handle. (Rated: T ; might change)  
><em>


	10. Chapter 10

Hey you guys^^ I know I said the next update was going to take longer but since a) I was kinda sick of learning and had to get my mind off things and b) one of my tests is actually an english-test I thought I might as well update my story!

Thank you so much for your reviews! And thanks that some of you even answered to my question! So my next story – after finishing this one – will be Bulma&Vegeta's story... ^^ I forgot to mention – though I think it's kind of obvious: The story will take place in the 3-year time skip before the arrival of the androids... but there won't be any Bulma-getting-pregnant during the story (though I might write a sequel and then I'll deal with that plot-line...).

So excited about getting to write that story! Hopefully it will be a little different from other V&B-fics... Well but I'll finish "Little Runaway" first... speaking of which: I was really looking forward to this chapter because it picks up the pace of the fic!

So please enjoy and leave a review if you have the time! I'd greatly appreciate it!

Oh and I'll answer a few things at the end again but I think the "beginning-note" is long enough as it is (sorry for that!)

* * *

><p><strong>Little Runaway (10)<strong>

Bra looked past Caleb and out the window. In the distance she could see two jeeps approaching and it was clear from Caleb's words and facial expression that he was far from pleased as he watched them drive closer and closer to Orphelinat. She raised an eyebrow. _Huh, looks like they are in trouble._ She darted a quick glance in Ann's direction. She wasn't looking any happier than Caleb. In fact she had paled slightly and there was a hint of fear in her green eyes. _As I thought, definitely trouble._

"Ann, get the others ready... and fast!" Caleb said and Ann was out the door before he had even finished his sentence. Caleb was close behind her, but he ran in another direction and after a quick analysis of the situation Bra followed him.

"What's going on?" she asked, making her voice sound scared. To be perfectly honest, there was a little flutter in her stomach, but she squashed it. After today, after meeting the people from Orphelinat, she had realized something. She had left home in order to be her own person, not in order to whine about being alone. She had headed out to find adventure and damn it if it didn't look like she was about to get her wish granted.

Caleb looked back for a second and their eyes met. Then he resumed walking, his pace fast. A normal child of Bra's height would have been left behind, but thanks to her genetic make-up Bra was able to keep up.

"Did you see those cars?" Caleb asked her while he entered another room of the building. It was not half as decent as the room they had just been in. The walls were cracked and there had to be a leak somewhere as water from too many a rainfall had drenched one of the walls. Bra could barely keep herself from making a disgusted face. _Stay in that room for a few days and pneumonia will be your new best friend._

She looked up at Caleb and fixed her expression so it looked confused and a little frightened. "The big black shiny ones?" she inquired, trying to hide a smirk at how convincing her voice sounded. She was actually beginning to enjoy playing this little game of hers. Who would have known that it was so much fun to act like some chicken-hearted, dumb girly-girl from the country? Or at least what Bra thought such a person would be like.

"Uhm, yeah. They want something that is on the premises, or at least what they _think_ is on the premises... We don't really get it either. Two of them were here a few days ago, saying something about a treasure map or something... We got rid of them when they tried to get us out of Orphelinat by force. But it seems like they came back for another round."

_A treasure map? What are they? Five-year-olds? I can't believe that some grown men are actually going treasure hunting... I bet they have seen one too many of those old western movies... _It was only when Caleb walked towards them that Bra noticed the big plastic bags in the far corner that stood behind an almost dilapidated dresser.

"What's in there?" she asked, now actually curious instead of faking it. Caleb began dragging one to the window, panting a little as he did so.

"Rocks. Lots of rocks." he answered. He put his hand inside the bag and pulled a few rocks out. "We thought that they'd be back. So we prepared. There are a few of these bags all over the house. I hope Ann arrived in time and the others will be ready. Rocks aren't much, but if a lot of us throw them then we might just be able to get these idiots off our backs."

Bra had figured out what the rocks were for as soon as Caleb had told her what was inside the bags. It was an old-fashioned and crude form of self-defense, but it was probably the best thing that the inhabitants of Orphelinat could muster.

Bra walked over to the window and watched as the jeeps came to a halt. It was silent for a second when the engines were cut off. The complete and utter silence had nothing peaceful, however, as it rather felt heavy, like the silence right before a storm.

Then the doors opened. Three men got out of each vehicle. They were all rather muscled and all six of them were wearing dark clothing. The sun blinded Bra a little as she looked down, but she could still make out at least some parts of their faces. None of them looked nice. They looked exactly like the kind of guys her mother would describe as 'mean bastards with no common sense or manners'... and one of the many kinds her father loved to ridicule. Then again her father ridiculed almost every type of human being so Bra didn't exactly know how pathetic they actually were.

She didn't get much time to ponder this however. As soon as one of the men made one step into the direction of the house, all hell broke loose. Stones started flying as if some kind of starting signal had been given. It seemed like the stones were coming from everywhere. Four of the men took cover behind the vehicles while the others raised their arms in order to protect their faces from the impact of the brickbats.

Bra was impressed by the fierceness with which the stones were thrown. Yells rang out every now and then, some yells of pain that always sounded when one of the six men was hit rather hard and others yells that were instructions. It almost sounded like they were on some sort of battleground.

It felt like there was nothing the men could do against the children of Orphelinat and this little war seemed to be as good as won.

But then suddenly the gaze of one of the men – who had only protected his face instead of hiding behind a jeep – shifted and he started running forward. _What's he doing? Is he trying to get inside? Idiot... They can as easily throw stones at him inside as they can outside. _Bra didn't understand what the man was trying to do.

But she did soon enough, as the guy came back... a little girl clutched tight to him, one of his arms around her neck. Her back was to his chest and she was kicking at him while she tried to push away the arm that seemed to be chocking the life out of her.

"Stop! NOW!" he screamed, a look of satisfaction flashing across his face when the flow of flying stones ceased and then stopped entirely. "Good..." he said, giving them an almost crazed smile that showed his uneven and direly-in-need-of-an-hour-long-brush teeth.

"I see that you don't want me to hurt your little friend here... Now let's get this straight: We want this property, which means that we want you – and I mean **all** of you – out! Now unless you want me to break this little girls neck... you'll do as I fucking say!" he yelled the last words and it was rather clear that this man was far from level-headed... or lucid. "Are we clear?"

Bra had heard enough. She quietly let her hand sink into the bag and grabbed one of the bigger stones. She smirked. Throwing things at Trunks when he got on her nerved – because hitting him directly just hurt too much – had made her aim perfect. Now it was time to finally put that brilliant aim to good use.

Caleb looked at her with wide eyes as she drew back her arm... and he was about to stop her when her arm snapped forward and the stone went flying through the air.

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><p>So here a few answers (feel free to ignore these if ur username isn't one of the ones below!):<p>

MyFalseTruth:

Yes, that is exactly what I had in mind^^ I personally really enjoyed that time of DBZ so I thought I'd make a little tribute to it because no members of the Son-family actually make an appearance in my fic (at least until now, maybe there'll be a short bit later on but I'm not sure yet).

Bulma3678:

Sure, once I'm done with all my tests I'd be happy to read your stories and review them! Just tell me which story you want me to review and I'll do it as soon as I've read it!

NPP:

Thanks! I hope luck will be on my side!

Gothic-Romantic99:

I've actually been meaning to do this for some time so I'm glad I'm finally getting around to it! Thank you for being such a faithful reviewer! It's rare and I really appreciate you putting your time into writing a few lines of your thoughts and encouragement for me!


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey there! So I actually intended to upload this two days ago but I couldn't access the internet because the company is redoing the cable in my town etc. _

_But now I'm back online and here's the new chapter! Like last time I'll answer some things at the end! _

_Enjoy and please leave a review (because they always get me in a good mood^^)_

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><p><strong>Little Runaway (11)<strong>

Everything slowed down the second the stone left Bra's hand. Birds could be heard chirping in the distance and a slight wind rustled the leaves of the nearby trees. Out of the corner of her eye Bra could see Caleb. His dark brown heir moved due to the slight breeze and his eyes were wide with either shock or fear. Bra couldn't really tell which emotion it was.

Then suddenly, as fast as things had slowed down, they began to speed up again. Shouts could be heard from the children of Orphelinat who were apparently afraid for their friend who was being held at her neck by the big man down on the lawn. Bra smirked one millisecond before her brickbat hit home. The rock collided with the evil man's forehead with such force that his head snapped back.

His grip around the girl's neck loosened instantly and the girl dropped to the ground and then ran back into the house, tears streaming down her face. For a moment the man stood there like that, his head in a weird position... before he dropped to the ground and remained unmoving.

An utter and complete silence followed, while a stronger wind swayed the green grass on the lawn. Then two things happened simultaneously.

"How the hell...?" Caleb whispered while he starred at Bra as if she had just grown another head. _Like I'm fucking Cerberus? _At the same time the other man in front of the house got moving. One of them ran to the man on the ground while four others ran to one of their Jeeps and climbed in. They hit the gas paddle and were gone before Bra got the chance to finish her mental stream of insults. _Cowards, wimps, bastards! Go and run like dogs with your tails between your legs! That will teach you to pray on little girls!_

When one of the men reached his ally on the ground he knelt down and felt his pulse by placing a hand on his neck.

"He's okay, just unconscious!" he called to his other, last remaining ally that stood by the other Jeep in a voice that sounded neither pleased nor displeased... simply like he didn't really care either way. That man slowly walked over to the other two, his stride powerful and completely out of place in this situation. It was almost like he was strolling over.

When he reached the two men he looked up and it was like he could see Bra very clearly when his eyes fixated on her. When their gazes met Bra swallowed. This guy was different from the others. This man wasn't simply a delinquent with no manners or brains... he was outright _mean_. There was an old-looking scar over his right cheek that nearly reached his eye. Bra told herself that that scar and his mean look were the only reasons why she felt fear trickling down her spine, making he shiver. But in the same moment she knew that that wasn't the only reason and that she _should_ be afraid of this man.

"This is not over," the man simply said and then helped the other guy carry their unconscious companion to the Jeep. They drove off and for a few seconds there was silence again... before cheers erupted. The loud noise of a lot of people moving throughout the house could be heard, but Bra just stood there, staring out the window, while she felt Caleb's gaze on her.

Bra had to come to a decision and fast. She could hear the others approaching their room, ready to find out what had happened and... She smirked. God, it would be so _easy! _

"_Most people see what they want to see, honey," she remembered her mom telling her. "Look at Hercule!" she'd said, laughing for a moment "What kind of sane person would ever believe him to be the savior of our planet? It's all in the mind, sweety."_

Bra was not done playing her role. And so she wasn't going to relinquish it. Caleb was about to open his mouth, but Bra spoke first and as if on cue, on her very first word, the door flew open.

"Caleb! That was so heroic!" Bra squealed in the most girlish voice she could manage. Caleb's expression turned from confused to flabbergasted, but he didn't get to call Bra on her blatant lie, because he was overrun by the incoming crowd.

"I knew it was you, Caleb! Way to go, man! You saved Susie like some kind of superhero! Like you were Mr. Satan!" a boy in the front shouted, his eyes gleaming like stars. Bra recognized the kid immediately. It was that let's-throw-stones-at-innocent-people Tevin. Although she knew he had a twin-brother, she recognized him for the idiot who had almost gotten her a concussion. _I knew he was a complete and utter fool. Like Hercule could even last a second against my dad or my brother! What a joke!_

Bra really didn't envy Pan for her maternal grandfather, that was for sure.

Ann hugged Caleb tightly, kissing his cheek. "That was fabulous! We made them run like crazy," she said, smiling up at her boyfriend.

"But I," Caleb tried to respond but suddenly everyone started talking at once and noone heard a single word of what he had to say about his alleged save. He glanced at Bra but she only gave him her sweetest and most innocent smile while she pondered her next move.

She didn't have too many options. She could return to her cave and pretend like she had never met these people. She could pretend not to care and turn her back on the problems that were heading their way...

Or she could stay and get to know them and figure out if she actually liked a few of them or if they were all idiots as her father suggested about pretty much _all_ human beings, save her family. She could face the men alongside them when they returned and experience the freedom and adventure she had actually been seeking when she left home.

That last thought decided her course. She had wanted to stand on her own feet and there was no better way of proving her worth and skill to herself than face the greatest difficulty that she could right now. And that difficulty would be keeping the children of Orphelinat save from those bad men.

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><p>Drake walked down the corridor that let to the office of his boss, one of his more annoying coworkers by his side. The vein on his temple pulsed because the idiot simply wouldn't stop blabbering. It was almost unendurable.<p>

He quickened his pace a little so he reached the door at the end of the hall faster. The metal at the edge of the bottom of his shoes made a metallic sound whenever it connected with the hard, dark floor. The noise resounded from the walls, making it seem even louder.

When Drake reached the end of the hall his patience snapped because of the endless babbling of the other man. "Shut up, will you?" he hissed at him and glared. The man flinched and took a step back. There was fear in his eyes as they flickered over the scar on Drake's right cheek.

"I'm sorry, Sir. It won't happen again, Sir," he mumbled, stumbling over his own feet as he took another step back.

Drake grimaced. _What a wimp. _He couldn't believe that he was even working with a person such as him. He just shook his head and turned to the white door, grabbed the handle and opened it.

The room was only dimly lit and the smoke of the cigar that his boss was smoking was clearly visible in the air. The boss sat behind a large wooden desk, his hands – which were adorned with so many rings that a lot of women would have been envious of him – resting on the surface. He looked directly into Drake's eyes as soon as the door opened.

Drake didn't like beating around the bush so he came straight to the point.

"They are much more of a hassle than we thought that they'd be. I think we have to take stricter measures," he said, bowing quickly to signal his respect. The boss frowned, but then nodded.

"If they don't want to listen, then they'll find out the hard way that they shouldn't fuck with us. I don't give a damn about the house! Burn it to the ground. We'll still get what's underneath." Drake smirked at his boss, happy with the decision. He was looking forward to see that little aqua-haired girl who had thrown the stone burn.

"B-burn it? B-but the children, Sir. How do we get them out?" the idiot standing next to Drake stuttered, apparently not understanding the vital point of this.

Drake laughed and the man next to him shivered at the sound of it. "Who said anything about getting them out?" he asked and then turned around to get the preparations done. He was so going to enjoy this!

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><p><em>So these are some replies to what I read in my reviews! You don't have to bother reading them if you aren't one of the users below!<em>

MyFalseTruth:

Glad you liked Bra's 'new self'^^ I got a little tired of her simply being scared... she is the daughter of Vegeta and I'm sure she'd never be 'only' a scared little girl... sure she feels sad and lonely at first but she has fight in her and so she'd surely be looking for an adventure ;) Yeah well being the smart girl she is she found away around people knowing it was her that threw that stone^^ Oh, and I never intended for it to be like it was with Gohan... if I did then I could have just written a Gohan-fic... turning this into the same story would simply result in it being totally boring! ;)

Coofis:

I'm afraid this is gonna be long XD. First off: Thank you for beta-reading my story! I love the way you do it! I'll take the comma at the end of direct speech into consideration in the future chapters (so chapter 11 and the following chapters). I already corrected the mistakes I made in chapter 3. They were mostly typos but I'm really thankful and happy that you took the time to tell me why it's wrong what I did so that I would definitely understand it if I hadn't known before! That's really kind of you! The 'were' instead of 'was' with the posture-thing in chapter 3 was actually because I at first wanted to write 'bearings' instead of posture... but then wasn't sure if I could actually use it in that context (could I have?) and then I probably forgot to change the 'were'-part... I'm sorry if it happens again... but please tell me if it does!

I'll try to take the 'angle of private character reflection' and the describing of surroundings into consideration in the future! Thanks again for doing such a wonderful job!


	12. Chapter 12

_Hey there! I'm sorry for the wait, but things didn't quite turn out as I planned after my tests (I thought I'd have less to do... but I guess the world has something against me having some time off...). Here's the next chapter!_

_Thank you for your reviews and I'd appreciate it if you could give me your opinion on these turns of events!_

_So enjoy and please review!_

**Little Runaway (12)**

Vegeta felt for his wife's Ki as soon as he realized that she wasn't in their bedroom anymore. He sighed when he felt that she was still inside the house, but his relief at this information only lasted for a second before he started making his way to her, his long strides full of purpose. He wasn't exactly pleased at the discovery that his wife was awake already. She had been so tired she should have slept for at least two more hours had she not been woken up by something else.

Then again, maybe the disquiet she felt due to her daughter's absence had haunted her even in her sleep so that she had awoken early...

Vegeta's train of thought was interrupted when he figured out where the Ki of his wife was actually located. He entered her laboratory only a minute later, surprised to see her at her big wooden desk, drawing something that looked suspiciously like blue prints for a new invention.

Bulma didn't notice him entering her lab, too focused on her drawings to realize that she wasn't alone anymore. She always got like that when working on something, like she was caught in her own little world. She was tapping her lips with her pencil right now, her eyes wandering over the blue print. Then she bit her lower lip and began drawing again, her hands sure and decided as they moved.

"What are you doing?" Vegeta asked just as Bulma lifted the pencil from the paper. He was glad he had waited for that moment because she startled in surprise and whirled around to face him. She surely would have slipped with her pencil on the paper otherwise and he never would have heard the end of it. Though it was strange that she would be working on blue prints right now anyway, all things considered.

But when she lay eyes on him, a bright smile flashed across her face and even in his current mood Vegeta could feel the corners of his lips lifting slightly in response. He didn't know how she did it, but Bulma always managed to reach him, even in his darkest places...

"I'm a genius!" she said, walking up to him. Her arms curled around his neck and she hugged him for a second before she walked back to her desk.

"How's that?" he questioned, taken aback by the drastic change in her attitude. Only yesterday she'd beaten his chest, crying desperately. Now she seemed to be full of purpose and radiated positive energy. Well, the Woman's behavior had always been nothing if not sporadic. She was feared by many for her infamous mood swings.

"When I woke up it hit me! I was the one who designed the bracelet, right?" Vegeta just raised an eyebrow and then understood that it was one of those rhetorical questions Bulma asked so often. Weird humans... "So I should be able to invent something that can either help us find the bracelet or destroy its effect!" Her eyes sparkled as bright as the midday sun during a hot summer as she looked at the blue prints on her desk.

Vegeta walked over to where she stood silently and then followed her gaze. He didn't really understand any of the calculations she had scribbled down next to the drawings, but he knew that his wife had set a course.

"So which one are you focusing on?" he asked, laying one hand on the table to have a closer look at the papers. There were several of them, piling up. His eyes narrowed when he saw a few scrunched sketches lying next to her desk. She must have worked on these for a quite some time already even though they had gone to bed late last night and the sun hadn't been up for too long either.

Bulma frowned when she considered his question. "Well at first I thought it would be perfect to just destroy the bracelet's effect... but in order to do that I'd have to destroy _all other_ technology that works in a similar way within a certain radius." She sighed, evening the paper on the desk as it started coiling up at the edges. "So that game plan is out of the question."

Her face lit up again as she looked at him. "But luckily in order to get the bracelet working I had to use a certain chip that provides the bracelet with the ability to use the energy of the sun." She looked smug for a minute, apparently happy with herself for that invention. "I invented that chip rather recently and therefore it isn't used in many objects yet. If I create a radar that can locate the chip, then..." She trailed of.

"Then we'll find Bra rather soon," Vegeta finished, resting a hand on his wife's shoulder, proud of her intelligence. He never would have come up with a plan like this and he knew that in so many ways he and Bulma complemented one another perfectly. The Woman smiled a little, tears welling up in her eyes as she nodded at him.

Bra sneaked out of her room, her shoes in hand, careful not to make any noise as she tiptoed down the hall. Her bare feet moved slowly for it was dark and she could barely see a thing. One of her hands rested on the wall to give her balance and help her find her way. She felt a weird anxious twitch in her stomach, but kept moving, making her way to the staircase.

Bra was even more careful with the stairs, afraid to step on one that would creak and therefore give her away. After all, this was an old house and who hadn't heard of all those tales about old houses with their creaking stairs and haunted corridors?

The old wood felt rough beneath her soft fingers as her hands slid down the rail and for a second Bra wondered if this was really worth all the trouble. But then she shook her head, determined to keep to her carefully thought-up plan.

The day had been chaotic after those troublemakers had left, or more precisely, fled. Everyone had spoken in a loud voice, congratulating Caleb and after a few more tries Caleb had simply given up on trying to set the record straight, though he had given Bra one more half-angry, half-confused glance. She had simply smiled at him in all her innocence, but Bra knew that he hadn't been fooled and she was still surprised at how he hadn't tried to speak to her privately after that.

After everyone had calmed down Bra had been introduced to most of the inhabitants of Orphelinat as 'the girl who will be staying with us from now on'. _At least for now, _Bra had thought but otherwise she had simply smiled, nodding at her new housemates. Then Bra had been dragged around the house as mostly girls wanted to show her their home, leading her to their rooms, trying to gain a new friend.

Bra liked some of those girls more than others, but the one she liked most was Ann. She was a down-to-earth person and while she was mostly nice she had a fire in her that Bra appreciated and one that made Ann unwavering when talking about her beliefs. It was something Bra recognized from her mother and she was glad to have a woman with such a strong spine in the same house. Some of the girls in Orphelinat squealed too much for Bra's taste so since those girls respected Ann she had mostly stuck to the older girl for the rest of the day as the redhead had told her about how life had been in Orphelinat before Bra came.

Bra had learned that Ann and Caleb had been in Orphelinat for almost a year and more kids and come one after another, all in the need of food and shelter. And so Ann and Caleb had offered exactly that, in a way creating an unofficial orphanage as they took care of more than just the children's physical needs.

Bra couldn't help but be amazed at how outright _good_ Ann and Caleb were. They didn't get anything out of taking care of these children and yet they put all they could into making their lives better.

Bra couldn't suppress the small smile that surfaced when she thought about her new friend, but it vanished when she reached the end of the staircase. She quickly checked if there was anyone still up, but it didn't seem that way so she slowly tiptoed to the entrance and then slipped out of the old house as fast as she could.

She sighed then, relieved that she hadn't woken anyone, and pulled her shoes on. She shivered when a nightly breeze lifted her hair and blew past her neck, but then she began to walk into the direction of the forest.

"Where do you think you're going?" a quiet voice called from behind her, making her jump. She turned around and her body tensed as she did not recognize the voice immediately. But as soon as she turned and saw Caleb's face she relaxed, her muscles loosening. It only took a second, however, for a frown to appear on her young face.

"Thanks for startling me like that," she huffed, not bothering to keep up appearances with Caleb. He already knew that there was something off about her and the image she had created for herself and since they were alone she didn't see the point in acting.

Caleb had stood by the door when she had turned, half covered in the shadow of the house cast due to the light of the almost full moon, but now he took a few steps toward her so he was illuminated by the light. His expression was grim, but his brows were drawn which made him look less angry. The sound of his footsteps on the ground was rather loud in the silence of the night and Bra wondered why he was out here. _Was he expecting me to sneak out?_

"You have some explaining to do," Caleb said, looking down at her. Bra raised an eyebrow, glancing behind her at the forest she had been heading to. The huge trees, which had glowed in such a beautiful green while still lit up by the sun, looked almost black now and even the moonlight couldn't do much about it. Well, her little trip could wait for a few minutes.

Caleb seemed to interpret her silence as a permission to start shooting questions. "How did you throw the stone like that? And why do you keep acting like some little clueless girl when it's obvious that you're more like a sly old dog?" Bra pursed her lips, irritated at how he had called her a _sly dog_.

"How do I throw? Well, I pull my arm back and then swing it back forward rather fast. I release it, it flies," she said, her voice monotone and bored. "How do you throw?" she added sweetly, smiling at him as if she was actually serious about the question.

"Very funny," he said, rolling his eyes. "But alright, what about your pretenses?"

Bra sighed, getting serious. If she couldn't fool him anymore, she might as well tell him the truth and see how he'd react. "It's a test. At first I wasn't sure if I could trust you and the others and though I'm beginning to think that you are honest about your good intentions I'm not ready to give up on my little game just yet." Then she smiled and she knew that it was a smile full of mischief. "Besides, I'm having fun with it."

Caleb's eyes narrowed at that and he gave her a quick once over. "How old are you?" he asked, making Bra raise a brow of her own. What kind of a question was that?

"I'm eight, but what's that got to do with anything?" she answered, trying to read Caleb's expression, but failing in gathering any information from it. He shook his head and looked at the dark sky above them for a second. Bra followed his gaze and marveled at the stars, loving their beautiful light. She'd always loved the night sky...

"You seem older than that," Caleb finally responded and then suddenly changed the topic. "But you still haven't told me where you're headed. Are you leaving us?" Bra directed her gaze back at him when she answered.

"Nope. Just fetching my stuff. I left it in the forest this morning. Or did you actually think that I was traveling with only my sword?" She vaguely gestured at the sheathed sword that was strapped to her back as it had been when they first met.

"Alone? Do you mind if I accompany you? You might be strange and all but... I don't fancy you going off on your own," Caleb said and Bra believed him due to the expression on his face. He really did seem to be concerned for her well-being. So she shrugged and turned, walking into the direction of the woods. She heard Caleb's footsteps as he followed her.

Replies to reviews (feel free to skip them if you aren't addressed ;) )

**MyFalseTruth:**

Thanks, I'm glad you think that way^^. I think my train of thought was the same as Bra's here : "Who'd believe that an eight-year-old girl threw that stone rather than the eighteen-year-old boy with the more impressive biceps?" I'm glad you liked the chapter and that I got you interested in what's to come ;)

**sweetgilda:**

Well I don't want to spoil anything but the children of Orphelinat will probably have a brighter future ahead of them when the fic is over ;)


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey! Sorry for the extremely long wait! I worked on my other fanfic called 'Investigating Love' for a while and I had other things to do, too... Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up rather soon, though._

_Enjoy and please leave a review ;)  
><em>

**Little Runaway (13)**

The branches braking and the leaves rustling beneath Caleb's feet seemed especially loud in the blackness of the quiet forest. Bra shot him an irritated glance. Jesus, both her Dad and her brother were heavier than that guy and she'd never heard them walking so damn loudly! Then again, both her father and brother could levitate by using their Ki so they could very easily alter their own weight.

"You're not a homeless girl, are you?" Caleb suddenly asked her as he lifted a tree branch out of her way. An owl cried in the distance and Bra startled before she scanned the treetops above them for a second. Damn, she so didn't like this walking-through-the-woods-at-night thing... She looked back down and carefully sidestepped a fallen branch.

"Why do you think that?" Bra questioned, even as she kept her gaze fixed on the ground. Her mother had taught her that it was rather rude to talk to people without looking at them, but she preferred walking without tripping over every goddamn root to polishing her social skills.

"Your clothes," Caleb said simply. "They're clean, most likely ironed. Also, they do look kind of expensive. No way a little girl without parents would have clothes like that," he added and Bra had to admit that he seemed even sharper than she had given him credit for. Then she wondered if any others had noticed that little fact. Maybe Ann, too, knew that she wasn't being completely honest about who she was...

"Well, aren't you smart? True, I do have parents. I just ditched them," Bra replied as she climbed over a fallen tree trunk. Good thing she had a great sense of direction or otherwise it would be even more difficult to find the cave again.

"Ditched them?" Caleb repeated dumbly, as if she had just spoken to him in Chinese. Maybe Bra had to go back on that comment about him being smart... Now she could see the cave up ahead and she felt a smile spread over her face. Ha! Meet the queen of the sense of direction!

"You mean you ran away from home?" Caleb asked, grabbing her by the shoulder. Bra came to a standstill and looked up at him. His eyes were wide and unbelieving as he gazed down at her.

"Sure. Why else did you think I'd be out here?" Bra wondered, giving him a dubious look. After all, if he'd figured that she wasn't homeless, then he must have come up with some kind of theory about why she was out here, right? But then she shrugged, not waiting for his answer and shaking off his hand from her shoulder as she walked towards the cave. She didn't really care and she'd inherited her impatience from her mother. She wanted to grab her stuff and head back to Orphelinat where she could sleep through the rest of the night.

The cave was just as she'd left it: cold, wet and rather unfriendly. She was truly grateful for the chance of sleeping in a real bed tonight since, though the cave had seemed like a good option at first, she rather preferred the more comfortable arrangement.

Bra went straight for her bag and packed everything back inside before shouldering it. When she walked back the way she'd come she saw Caleb eyeing the cave warily as if he expected some kind of monster to jump out of it any second. Bra had started liking the boy, but if he was going to wet his pants at the thought of danger then she might start reconsidering their evolving friendship.

"Don't worry, nothing's going to jump you from in there. It's empty," Bra said, pronouncing the words as if she were speaking to a kindergartener or someone mentally handicapped. That earned her an annoyed look from Caleb.

"Well, last time I saw this cave it was the home of a really big, rather easily pissed off dinosaur, so excuse me for not being too fond of it. Bad memory," he replied icily. He gave the cave one last skeptical look before turning his gaze to Bra.

"Are you ready to go back now?" he asked, apparently eager to leave the place behind him. Bra just nodded and together they headed back to Orphelinat. They walked next to each other in silence for a while. Well, or in as much silence as there could be in a forest, with all its wildlife and whatnot. That is until Bra saw something strange up ahead.

"What is that?" she muttered, stunned at the red-orange light that seemed to be shining up ahead. It was like the dim glow was weaving it's way through the trees, giving the leaves a peculiar look in the now semi-dark forest. Without saying anything both Bra and Caleb started walking faster, stumbling a little on the way as they made it to the edge of the woods.

Bra's breath caught at what she saw before her. Caleb tensed next to her even as he sucked in a shocked breath as if his lungs were short on air. The light shone stronger in the clearing and danced into the sky as if it were trying to help the stars and the moon in making the night brighter. Bra's heart was in her throat and her hands started sweating. _This is so not happening._

"Oh my God! Ann!" Caleb screamed as he broke into a dead run towards Orphelinat. Or what was left of it, anyway. The building was on fire and the flames were licking at the old wood which burned so easily that it was almost laughable. Bra saw some of the children running out of the nearly collapsing house, most of them coughing as they held their hands in front of their faces.

They were greeted by more of those men dressed in black clothing, the very same ones that had been there this afternoon, trying to take over Orphelinat. After a few seconds of shock the children started fighting the older and stronger humans who were trying to force them into the back of a huge black truck. Luckily the men were fewer in number, so the fight wasn't completely unmatched.

Bra shook her head. This wasn't the time to analyze the situation and be a simple bystander. She charged towards the house, ready to do whatever she needed to do. _Nicely done, Bra. And there you were, wishing for an adventure..._

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><p>"I did it!" Bulma called, jumping up from her office chair in joy. As if on cue Vegeta chose that moment to walk into her workshop, a towel draped over his shoulders. He only wore dark blue sweatpants and his bare chest was glistening with perspiration. It had taken Bulma a lot of nerve and every ounce of wit she possessed to convince her husband to train in the GR instead of going out and search for their daughter again.<p>

Bulma had never thought that she'd ever see the day when she'd be the one telling Vegeta to train since normally he did that during most of his free time. And it wasn't like she wasn't just as desperate to find her little baby as Vegeta, but she'd seen how frustrated it made him that he was unable to find Bra. So she'd told him that she'd very soon have the means to find their daughter – and a lot of other good arguments she now couldn't even remember – in order to keep him from heading out to search again.

"About damn time," Vegeta said as he walked toward her. Bulma's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. It had taken a few hours... A look at the clock that hung on the opposite wall told her that it was already nighttime. Well, okay, so it had taken more than a few hours, but things like this didn't just make themselves.

"Well, sorry. I may be a genius, but I'm still only human. Noone could have done it faster than I did," she replied icily, feeling the need to protect her pride as a scientist-without-equal from her husband's bad mood. Vegeta didn't respond, but walked to her desk in silence and eyed the contraption that she had just invented.

"Will it work?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn as if in doubt. Bulma huffed and looked at the machinery for a second. It wasn't very big. Mainly it consisted of a display and a tiny black box that Bulma had fixed to the back. The box contained all the necessary hardware to make the device work properly... or that's what Bulma hoped. She reached for the tiny switch at the side of the display and a second later the screen flickered to life, showing a digital map... and a green dot here and there. The locations of the new Capsule Corp energy-chips. Bingo.

Bulma grinned and placed her fingers on the monitor and then slowly drew them across the screen, reducing the distance between each finger, effectively zooming out. That way she and Vegeta got to see more of the area that surrounded their home. Most of the green dots seemed to be located in the city, which made sense because that was where most people lived. But then Bulma saw a dot that seemed off as it was played in an area where there wasn't much more than a really big forest.

"That's strange," Bulma whispered, zooming in on the green dot that was seemingly located in the middle of nowhere. She looked at Vegeta and she could read her own thoughts in his eyes.

"Bra?" he simply asked, his voice a little husky... and hopeful. Bulma's heart squeezed. It was rather rare that she saw her husband this emotional and she adored him even more for the strong love he held for his children.

"It's possible," she replied, a lump in her throat. She, too, couldn't help but hope that this little green spot on the map gave away the location of her missing daughter and not that of some family out camping. "You go get changed and I'll get Trunks," she murmured and Vegeta was gone before she'd finished.

* * *

><p>Bra came to a skidding halt in front of the building, torn between helping the kids who were getting out of the building or helping the ones who were now fighting against those creeps clad in black.<p>

Suddenly Ann ran out of the building, the boy who had thrown the stone at her this morning in her arms. She was coughing, but she seemed to be fine. The boy in her arms, however, was trashing as he tried to get away. Why would he do that?

"I've got to go back! Let me go back!" he screamed. "Tevin's still in there!" It was then that Bra realized that this wasn't the boy from this morning. It was his twin-brother, Luca, who was desperate to get back to his sibling who was apparently still inside the burning house.

Bra looked upward and gulped as she felt the heat the flames emanated wash over her face. "You can't go back to the second floor!" Ann shouted at the boy, keeping her arms locked around him so he couldn't go back. Bra took a step towards Orphelinat.

_You have got to be kidding! Are you really going to do this? For the guy who tried to turn your head into some kind of swiss cheese?_ Bra pursed her lips. _And how are you going to live with yourself if you stay out here just to save your own ass? It was not what any member of your family would do._

That last thought set Bra's course. She threw her backpack onto the ground and threw Luca a nasty look. That kid's whining was getting on her nerves. "Shut up! Stay put and listen to Ann," she shouted at him. And with that she ran towards the house, charging into the flames.


	14. Chapter 14

_Sorry for the wait ;) I've got a holiday job now, so I didn't have much time for writing. I'll try my best to get the next update up within the next week!_**  
><strong>

_Enjoy and please review!  
><em>

**Little Runaway (14)**

Bra coughed and squinted her eyes as she tried to see through the thick smoke. It was close to impossible and the pieces of wood falling down from above didn't exactly help. The staircase was a disaster and obviously not serviceable. Once again in her life Bra felt thankful for having been born into a family that thought a little outside the box.

The falling down of wood had one positive aspect: there wasn't that much ceiling left. So Bra floated into the air, careful not to touch anything that was currently burning – which was actually pretty much everything – and flew through a hole that was big enough for even her father with his wide shoulders to fit through.

Bra didn't have time to think, not in this hell-hole, but for a split second she allowed herself to grief. This building had been the home of so many children and they had loved it here. She'd seen the happy, joyful faces this afternoon, how proud the kids had been to show their rooms to her. Now Orphelinat was nothing more than a death-trap, one that more closely resembled hell than the heaven it had been for these kids.

Bra bit her lower lip and then turned her gaze away from the direction where Ann's room had been. Ann had Caleb had worked so hard to make all of this work... A roof batten, alight with fire, suddenly came crashing down and Bra got out of the way just in time. The flames that licked up her left arm for a second made pain explode where they had touched her. _Get Tevin, get out. Not much more you can do now._

Bra made her way to the second floor, her breathing heavy and sweat running down her arms and legs. She had to blink to keep in from dripping into her eyes. Gods, why was it that fire had to be this goddamn hot? She had to cough as she opened her mouth as the heat instantly threatened to burn her throat. Bra fought the pain, unwilling to turn around now. She'd come this far...

"Tevin!" Bra shouted and her screaming resulted in another bouts of coughs. She put the back of her hand in front of her mouth. Her eyes were stinging, her body slick with sweat and her throat was killing her. When she got out of this, then she wanted nothing more than to take a long, cold shower.

"I'm here," a voice cried from not too far away. Tevin. He sounded scared and his voice had that distinct ring a voice got when one had been crying. _Seems like the let's-throw-stones-at-innocent-people kid isn't that though after all. _Bra headed to where the voice had come from, dodging falling wood and barely making it without getting her hair singed.

Tevin was cowering in the corner of his and his brother's shared bedroom, his arms raised in front of his face in order to shield himself. He looked through his fingers at Bra and then his hands dropped into his lap. His mouth gaped open for a second before he coughed.

"You're... flying?" he said, half choking. Bra floated over to where he sat and grabbed one of his wrists. The guy had thrown a stone at her and she wasn't too fond of him, so she'd drag him out of here if she had to. As long as he didn't die...

"I'm no Boing 747, but I manage," she replied, yanking him to his feet. He stumbled for a second, but then steadied himself, his eyes still too huge for his little face. "Get on, we haven't got all day," Bra said, turning her back to him. His brows drew together and he flashed a quick glance at the sword that was still strapped to her back. Bra rolled her eyes.

"Piggy-back-riding? Never heard of it?" Bra paused for a second, her eyes narrowing at the boy whom she was looking at over her shoulder. "Or do you have a problem with being saved by a girl? Listen buddy, either you get on or you get fried. Your pick."

She lowered herself to the ground a little more and suddenly Tevin was very eager to climb on her back. Smart move. When Bra left the room she realized that things were getting even worse inside the building. The smoke was now so thick that she could barely see what lay ahead and her head was beginning to feel fuzzy. _No, no, no. No passing out now! _

The added weight on her back was making it harder to move and maneuvering through the disaster that was the Orphelinat seemed close to impossible. Bra didn't know how, but she somehow managed to find the hole again that gave her the chance to leave the second floor and even while she was coughing and blinking rapidly, she found the strength to keep going.

Then Bra almost laughed as relief flooded through her like a giant wave. There it was. The exit.

* * *

><p>Vegeta tapped his foot on the ground, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He had never been the most patient man, but he knew that right now he was strung so tight that he would most likely explode if someone rubbed him the wrong way. And a Saiyan warrior exploding, that was not something that a lot of people could witness and live to tell the tale.<p>

It was then that his wife came hurrying down the hallway, a light jacket on and her newly invented device in hand. Their son was walking right behind her, a grim expression on his face that was rather contrary to his usually happy expression. Right now, Vegeta didn't care. All he wanted was to go out there and find his daughter... to give her a severe lecture.

"Are you finally ready?" he asked, as Bulma came to a stop in front of him. Her eyebrows drew together and he knew that she was angry with him for the way he was behaving. It spoke volumes, however, that she didn't snap right back at him like she usually would have. She kept quiet and that told him that she was just as eager to get this over with as he was.

Vegeta picked Bulma up, one arm beneath her shoulders and the other beneath her knee caps. They had agreed on not taking the jet, even though Bulma had first wanted to do exactly that. The jet, however, was bigger, louder and not as flexible as Vegeta and Trunks. As soon as Vegeta had pointed out that they would be flying over a forest Bulma had quickly agreed that being able to land whenever they wanted was indeed an advantage.

Now all they had to do was find their little girl.

* * *

><p>Bra lowered herself to the ground before stumbling out of the building, where she collapsed to the ground after she had gotten away just far enough from the house to be out of any immediate danger. She fell to her knees and Tevin fell to the ground beside her, rolling onto his back as he breathed in the fresh air heavily. Bra, too, sucked in a few sharp breaths. She was glad when her vision cleared and her throat seemed to lose at least a little bit of that burning and dry sensation. <em>Sayian genes do come in handy...<em>

"Are you okay?" Bra asked Tevin as he coughed. He had probably inhaled a little too much smoke, but he didn't seem to be injured.

"Yeah. I'm fine." he croaked, his voice a little sour. _Huh, and here we've got another male who is reluctant to be saved by a girl. What a baby. _A quick glance upward confirmed that the earlier battle was still going strong and even Ann and Tevin's brother Luca were now involved in the fray.

Bra wanted to stand up, but before she was able to straighten completely an arm coiled around her waist and she was suddenly lifted up. "Don't move!" a male voice yelled and she could feel something cold pressing against her temple. _Wow, this is getting better and better. Seems like this is one of those days after which you'll ask yourself why exactly you got up in the first place._

The chaos in front of Bra came to a standstill as both the inhabitants of Orphelinat and the evil men dressed in black froze. The men started grinning as they realized that they had just gained the upper hand in this fight.

The man behind Bra tightened his grip around her chest and pressed the gun in his hand harder to her temple. The cold metal of the weapon made Bra flinch, but otherwise she didn't move.

"I order you all to leave. Unless of course... you don't mind if I paint the ground with the girl's brain matter." He jostled Bra a little for emphasis. "Your choice."

Bra swallowed. She wasn't stupid enough to think that she would survive a shot to the head. And she rather liked her brain to remain in her head, thank you very much. She risked a glance at the weapon. And smirked. _Thank god for small favors._

She turned a little and made her voice sound very innocent and childlike. "Wow! That is so shiny! What is it? Can I have it?" Bra asked and grabbed for the gun. Her ears picked up the faint clicking sound that resulted from her action, but it was lost on the behemoth of a man holding her.

"What the hell! Are you stupid, kid? I'll kill you with this if you don't hold still!" he hissed at her, tightening his arm so she was forced back into her earlier position.

"You know..." Bra went on in that sweet voice she'd used earlier "my mum always says that it's not nice to threaten people. And my dad always says... that if you back someone into a corner, he is going to come out clawing." Then she smirked and her tone changed to one that didn't fit her age at all. It was quiet and deadly. "You reap what you sow."

Bra pushed her arms to her sides, using the momentary confusion of the man to her advantage. His grip loosened easily enough. It was like everything happened in slow motion from that moment on. She turned around in mid air as she began to drop. The man came back to his senses and in his panic, with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he pulled the trigger of the gun... but nothing happened.

As surprise crossed the man's face Bra drew back her leg... and kicked the man's temple as hard as she could. Time sped up again as she sent him flying a few feet. He remained motionless on the ground.

Bra landed as quietly as the drop of a needle and a smirk was spreading on her face. "You really should know your weapons, you idiot. Just move the little switch on the side and the gun is locked. I'm surprised you survived this long." she told the unconscious man and then she turned around to help the others... only to have a rifle pointed at her face.

* * *

><p>Drake had recognized the girl from this morning, the one who'd thrown the stone, as soon as she'd come stumbling out of that disaster piece of a house. Even covered in ashes and with her face drawn in exhaustion he had recognized that little blue haired girl.<p>

As soon as one of those idiots that had a lot of brawn but most definitely no brain had moved behind her, he'd known it was a bad move. But he'd only seen how bad a move it'd been when the little wench had shown a wit and cunning that was far beyond that of the other kids they had to deal with here. When she had kicked the behemoth behind her and sent him flying, Drake couldn't help but grin. She was smart... and she'd be so much more fun to kill.

He loaded his weapon with a smile on his face and pointed his rifle at her... which would greet her as soon as she turned around.

* * *

><p><em>If you want to read how the reunion of Bra and her family happens, then stay tuned for the next chapter! ;)<em>

_Thank you all for your lovely support until now!  
><em>


	15. Chapter 15

_Here's the newest chapter ;) Personally, I was really looking forward to writing this scene so I hope that you guys will enjoy this and let me know whether or not it was what you imagined it would be like ;)_

_So enjoy and please review! _

**Little Runaway (15)**

Bra's heart skipped a beat as she stared into the barrel of the rifle pointed at her. A second later her eyes met those of a man who she recognized immediately. Like this morning she felt a shiver sliver down her spine. He wasn't quite as big as the guy who had held her just moments ago, but his green eyes were as cold as ice and his facial features seemed outright cruel. There was a glint in his eyes, a certain expression, that immediately told Bra that he had killed before... and that he'd enjoyed it.

More than anything else, this was the kind of monster that any human had a right to be afraid of.

Bra's palms started sweating as her heartbeat quickened up so much that she got the feeling that she could feel it pulsing in her throat. The scar on the man's right cheek twisted in a frightening way as the corner's of his lips lifted into a smirk. It was as if he could feel the anxiety emanating from her as his thumb caressed the metal of his weapon in a way that came very close to adoration. _A complete and utter nutcase._

"And so we meet again," the man said and his voice had a little bit of a southern drawl. "Some weird little kid you are. I wish I could play with you for a while, but I've got my orders," he added, giving her the creepiest look that Bra had ever seen on a person. Bra tried her hardest to keep the fear she felt from showing on her face, but she had the strange feeling that he could sense it anyway.

"We've never really met," Bra replied, referring to his first statement, as thoughts raced through her head. _He's too far away to snatch the weapon from him. I'm not fast enough to get to him before he shoots me. He's nuts, but he's no idiot like that other guy. What to do...?_

Bra felt helpless as she waited for his answer. She knew, probably just as well as he did, that she was just buying time, delaying the inevitable. Bra didn't know what good it would do her, but right now it was all she could do.

"Ahh, don't be modest. I know you were the one who gave one of my men a concussion. Excellent throw, couldn't have done it better myself," he said and he actually sounded amused. Bra's eyebrows drew together. Some camaraderie these guys had... Not that she felt guilty for what she'd done, even if that man did have a concussion. The psycho had deserved everything that he got for threatening that small girl.

Bra gave the gun a pointed gaze. "Why didn't you bring one of those last time?" she asked, taking a tiny step forward. He raised the gun slightly, making it clear that he had caught even that slight movement. Damn, that much for slowly sneaking closer while distracting him. He answered as if nothing had occurred.

"We wouldn't have needed them if not for you. I brought my friend here for your benefit only." He lovingly caressed the deadly piece of machinery once more. "The other men thought it beneath them to bring guns in order to fight children. Call it male foolishness." He paused for a second. "Well, except for Mr. No-brain over there. Doesn't seem like the weapon was of much use to him, though." He smirked as if it amused him that she had taken out his comrade.

"Should I feel flattered?" Bra asked, eyebrows raised, even though her mind wasn't really in this petty conversation. Her eyes skidded to her bracelet and back to the man in front of her. Maybe that was her only option. Getting rid of the bracelet, letting her brother and father know where she was...

Tears nearly welled up in her eyes as she thought of her family. She had never meant for anything like this to happen. She had wanted an adventure, sure, but she'd never thought that it would end up in a life-or-death situation. Which was exactly what this was.

Right now she wanted nothing more than to be held by her mother, or watch her father train in the yard. She wanted to be chased through their big house by her brother because she stole one of his machinery parts again. She wanted to hear his laughter as he caught up with her and mockingly tickled her until she couldn't help but sink to the floor, robbed of all of her strength. She wanted to hear her Dad's gruff voice as he told her to be careful when she left for school and see her mother roll her eyes at her father's over-protectiveness.

She loved them so much and right now there was a pretty good chance that she would never see them again. She'd been such a fool to run away. Even if her family couldn't always have time for her, they still loved her deeply and when they were together they completely made up for the time they weren't able to spend with her.

Bra was just about to remove the bracelet when another thought flashed across her mind. What if they came too late? What if her Dad and Trunks felt her Ki only to arrive to find her body on the ground, a hole in her head and her eyes sightless? She couldn't do that to them... Wouldn't they be better off not knowing where she was than knowing that she was dead, killed as a result of her own pigheadedness?

Her hand clenched into a fist and dropped back to her side again. She couldn't do that, couldn't bring her family that much pain. A hysterical laugh almost escaped her pursed lips. She'd already done that, hadn't she? She'd already caused them sorrow, by leaving without any kind of explanation, by pretending that she was the only one who mattered. God, she was such a pampered, self-absorbed child...

Now she had to do what was right _for them_. And so the bracelet remained on her wrist.

* * *

><p>"We're close!" Bulma called, clinging to her husbands neck with one arm while she held the newly invented device in the other hand. Vegeta didn't answer her as he surveyed the ground. He'd kept quiet ever since they'd left Capsule Corporation.<p>

"What do we do... if it's not her?" Trunks asked, shooting a quick glance at his father, even though Bulma knew that the question was directed at her. Bulma felt Vegeta's muscles tense beneath her fingers for a second. She knew that he wouldn't rest until he'd checked every single green dot on her map.

Bulma was about to answer her son when she suddenly felt some strange emotion shoot through Vegeta's body. It was almost as if someone had electrocuted him as his body jerked with tension so thick, Bulma thought he was going to shatter. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, when he spoke.

"Trunks, catch your mother," he said... and then he let go of her, sending her spiraling towards the ground.

* * *

><p>Drake couldn't help but grin as he watched tears well up in the little girl's eyes. She seemed to have finally grasped how hopeless her situation was. At the same time that he felt elated, he also felt sad. He'd more or less broken her and now it was time to kill her. One less willful person to play with...<p>

He raised his gun and pointed it at her forehead. His index finger curled around the trigger. _Bye-bye, little girl._

Then everything happened with the speed of lightning and Drake couldn't have possibly seen what occurred. He blinked and where a second ago he'd looked down the barrel of his gun into the blue eyes of the small girl now all he could see was the face of a man.

The man was a little shorter than him, but when one of his hands grabbed Drake's throat, he lifted Drake from his feet so easily that it was laughable. In the other hand the man now held Drake's rifle and as the man closed his fist the rifle broke into two. The barrel and the ball bearing fell to the ground separately.

Still, surprise was the most dominant emotion for Drake. That changed, however, as his eyes locked with those of the stranger. Instantly his feelings shifted and only a second later he felt a strange liquid warmth travel down his legs. He had never seen such a dangerous, terrifying expression on a man's face. No, whatever held him by the throat was no man. It was a demon, a devil, that had come straight from hell.

The demon's face twisted with disgust as he saw Drake's pants darken as they soaked with the result of Drake's fear. The grip around Drake's neck tightened and there was a strange, rattling sound as Drake tried to breath in. The demon didn't seem to care that he was chocking Drake.

"You have some goddamn nerve to point a weapon at _my_ daughter," the devil hissed, his voice so full of menace that Drake would have relieved himself again, had his bladder not been empty already. He felt his face turn red, felt the heat of blood being pent-up, and he knew that if nothing happened soon then this monster, who was apparently the father of the girl, would kill him.

* * *

><p>Bra's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly couldn't see the bad man's face anymore... but instead saw her father's back turned to her. It took her a few seconds to regain her senses, to register what was happening. While she did, the man's face started turning red, then purple, as her Dad held him by the throat. Then the man's eyes closed and she knew the guy was unconscious.<p>

"Daddy?" Bra whispered, not sure if she was seeing right. As soon as she spoke, Bra could see her father's shoulders relaxing somewhat and then the man was dropped. He hit the ground with a muted thud.

"That's your Dad?" Tevin whispered next to Bra, his voice a strange mix of awe and fright. Then Tevin seemed to shiver. "Your Dad's scary."

* * *

><p>Vegeta looked down at the scum that had dared to threaten his daughter with one of those guns that humans seemed to love so much. He would have loved to kill the man right there, right then, but he couldn't do it. Not with his little girl watching. He turned around, not sure how she would react. He hadn't killed the man, true, but he had strangled him and until Bra had called out to him he'd been very much intent on killing him. It would have been so easy...<p>

He looked at Bra and she stared back at him with wide eyes. Vegeta's jaw clenched as a second of silence followed. Then tears started welling up in Bra's eyes. It was like a punch to the gut.

But then Bra suddenly sniffed and started running toward him, covering the distance between them. His arms opened as if on instinct and then she had her small arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his chest as she sobbed and clung to him. Vegeta held her a little too tightly as he stood there for seemingly endless moments, but he couldn't let up. It felt too goddamn good to have her back.


	16. Chapter 16

_First of all: I'm really sorry for being MIA for so long! Honestly, the story was already complete in my head so that I thought I'd actually finished it... silly me ;) _

_I promise to complete this story now that I'm back!Hope you like it!_

**Little Runaway (16)**

Bra held on tightly to her father's neck, loving the familiarity of the strong shoulders and warm skin. It took her a few seconds to realize that her father was squeezing her back, something he rarely did. Usually he just gently put his arms around her as if he was afraid he'd break her if he put too much pressure on her body.

Now he held her so firmly that she thought he might be right about that.

Bra was just about to say something when she was ripped out of their little moment by the shouts around them. _Idiot, this is no time for a family-reunion!_ She watched as Ann fought off one big guy, protecting Luca from the fist that had been coming straight towards his face.

But another man was coming up from behind Ann, swinging something that very much looked like a baseball bat. Suddenly Caleb was there, attacking the guy with a round-house kick that made him stumble backwards.

Caleb was an even better fighter than Bra would have thought, but the others were pretty much hopeless. The smaller kids were biting their attackers, their arms, hands, legs, whatever they could get their little teeth into. Ann had at least some kind of strategy when attacking but she was seriously lacking physical strength so that she was easily overpowered.

"Oh no!" Bra breathed when Ann was shoved to the ground and one of the men kicked her side. Caleb yelled her name, fighting off two guys at once in order to get to her, but the men were both huge and while they lacked skill they were good at using brute force.

Bra's first reaction was shock and then it hurt her to see her friend being treated like this... before the rage kicked in. Noone, _noone _treated her friend like that! Ann had been so kind to her earlier, there was no way that she deserved to be bullied like this while she could do nothing to defend herself.

Bra's hands balled into fists and her eyebrows drew together in a menacing frown.

"Dad, put me down," she ordered, irritated when all her Dad did was lighten his grip on her somewhat, but still holding her firmly in his arms.

"What?" he bit out and the sweet father who had just held onto her so lovingly was replaced by the pissed off warrior who did very much hate being ordered around. It was hard not to feel her own heart clench as she looked at the face that she had missed so much just moments ago, but when Ann groaned in pain Bra made herself look firm.

"They need help," she told her father, nodding towards all the kids that were so desperately fighting against their adversaries. Vegeta's forehead creased as he turned around and looked at the scene as if he was seeing it for the first time.

His grip loosened a little and Bra used the freedom she had just gained in order so slip out of her father's grasp. Then she headed for the turmoil in front of her, easily side-stepping a thick twig that one man swung at her.

"Has noone ever told you not to hit girls?" Bra asked as she kicked out his legs from beneath him, then send him flying into a nearby tree with a well-placed kick to the left side of his ribcage. Watching her father and brother fight for the past years had done her a service she hadn't even known of.

Then she continued running over to Ann, kicking shins and punching stomachs on her way. _Almost there..._ A sudden gust of wind blew smoke into her eyes and blocked her airway for a second, making her cough. But she kept walking, ignoring the way her chest heaved for breaths...

When the smoke faded and Bra's vision cleared she saw Ann sitting on the ground. With wide eyes the girl looked up at Vegeta who stood in front of her and threw one of the already unconscious men against a tree trunk a good twenty meters away. For sport.

Then Vegeta's gaze fell on Ann and the girl visibly shrunk beneath his penetrating look.

"Are you okay?" Bra asked, running over to Ann who looked worse for wear, but didn't seem to have any noticeable injuries. Of course, there was internal bleeding to consider...

Ann nodded, but her eyes stayed fixed on Vegeta, who stood there, watching Bra. Bra turned around, looking up at her father with a gleaming smile.

"Thanks," she said, knowing that his menacing expression wouldn't hold long against her smile. And she was right. The evil look disappeared and her Dad raised an eyebrow instead.

"You should have told me you had a friend to help instead of just running into the fray, young lady," Vegeta told her, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Bra's lips twitched at the 'young lady'-part. Usually only her mum called her that whenever Bra got uppity with her.

"Sorry, Dad," Bra said, but she was afraid her apology seemed a little less sincere for the smile that was still huge on her face.

"Dad?" Ann asked incredulously. "You mean... _he_'s your _father_?" For some reason that news seemed to shock Ann even more than the recent attack on her. Bra looked at her Dad. Right, Ann had thought that she was an orphan, just like the other kids.

Bra walked over to Vegeta and hugged his legs, looking back at Ann as she did. "Yeah, he's my Dad," she said, feeling a little guilty for ever having denied the ties that connected her to her family. Bra closed her eyes in content when Vegeta lay his hand down on her head, lightly stroking her hair.

"What the hell is going on here?" a male voice suddenly asked and Bra twirled around, coming face to face with the rest of her family. Her mother stood there, one hand in front of her mouth as tears streamed from her eyes. Bulma was usually such a strong woman that seeing her so emotional made Bra's eyes water in response.

She sobbed, then released her father's legs in order to run towards her mother, who caught her up against her body, pressing her tightly against her chest. Bulma's one hand stroked through her daughter's hair frantically while she held her little one close with the other arm.

"Don't you ever do that to me again. I thought I'd go crazy," Bulma whispered into Bra's curls, breathing in a rugged lung full of air. Bra felt tears glide down her own cheeks and felt the salt on her lips.

"I-I'm so sorry," she sobbed, her breath shaky as she realized just how much she had put her mother through. All of her family, really, though both her father and brother would never show it as openly as Bulma did now...

Bra turned her head to look at Trunks who stood next to Bulma and seemingly couldn't decide if he was happy to see her or confused with what was going on. For the moment he seemed to decide that he was happy to see her and he brushed away a tear from her cheek.

"You're a real brat, you know that, right?" he asked, shaking his head at her with a sad smile on his lips. Bra felt her lower lip tremble.

"I-I'm..." "Sorry? Yeah, I know," Trunks responded, patting the top of her head for a second. Bra sniffed once more and gave her brother a shaky smile in return. She knew that her family was most likely going to give her hell later for running away in the first place, but right now she was too happy, too relieved to care.

"But what the hell is going on here, anyway?" her brother asked, reminding Bra of the riot.

"The others...," Bra started saying, but when she looked over her mother's shoulder she was greeted by a sight she hadn't expected. The men who had attacked the kids from Orphelinat were no longer fighting the children. Instead all of them were lying on the ground, some unconscious, some groaning in apparent pain.

The orphans stood there, their gazes dazed, as they surveyed the unbelievable sight before them. Just mere moments ago those men seemed like they were going to destroy everything they had and now they lay on the ground, beaten so thoroughly that none of the children could possibly be responsible.

"... were fighting some scumbags I took care of," Trunks finished Bra's sentence and looked at the scene with his eyebrows raised.

"But what's the meaning of all this?" Trunks looked at her expectantly, clearly waiting for an answer. "I think we'd all like to know that," Vegeta said and Bra glanced over her shoulder to be able to look at her father.

His infamous ill-tempered scowl was on Vegeta's face, making him look like the devil incarnate, but while the sight made the children of Orphelinat tremble in fear of this seemingly evil man it was a welcome and beloved sight to Bra. A sight she had missed more throughout the short time they'd been apart than she had realized.

The happiness and content she felt, being in her mother's arms and having the other members of her family close to her, dulled when she looked at Orphelinat. The old building was burning to a crisp, groaning and hissing like someone taking their last dying breaths.

Her lower lip trembled a little. "They burned down the house," Bra stated the obvious, her voice a broken whisper. She looked at Ann who seemed to be close to tears while her eyes were locked on the remains of what had once been her home.

It was hard for Bra to watch the building fade away to nothing but a pile of ash and she could only imagine how much more difficult and heartbreaking it had to be for Ann, Caleb and the other kids who'd gotten much more attached to it during the longer time they'd spent there.

"But why?" Trunks asked incredulously, not understanding how someone could possibly do something so evil to these kids. Trunks looked around, actually seeing the children standing around them this time. He'd been focused on his sister before, but now he saw that all of them were young, some of them even younger than Bra. He felt a pressure on his chest, seeing the hurt on their faces as they watched the flames licking at the old wood, destroying their former home.

Then his brow creased. "And where are their parents?" It only now occurred to him that there were only children present, no adult in sight.

"We're all orphans," a male voice said then. It was only then that Trunks noticed a boy much older than the other kids, maybe sixteen or seventeen. The boy's shoulders were straight and he held himself with a self-assured air, but the despair was evident in his eyes.

"You've lived out here by yourselves?" Bulma asked, her voice stunned. She looked down at Bra and saw that tears were brimming in her little baby's eyes.

"And now it's all gone," Bra sniffed, shaking her head as if she was refusing to believe the obvious. An aggravated sound disrupted the sad moment.

"Don't be foolish and stop your whining, kid. It's a fucking building. None of your friends were hurt, right? The house can be rebuild," Vegeta uttered gruffly and walked over to stand next to his wife.

Bra looked up at him and it was hard for Vegeta to see the tears on her cheeks, so when she opened her mouth to speak he chucked her under the chin and rubbed the salty water away with his thumb. His gut unclenched when his daughter gave him a shaky smile.

"Everything will be okay," Bulma whispered to their daughter and then flashed her husband a teary smile. Vegeta's gaze landed on the oldest of the orphaned boys who had spoken earlier.

_Damn right it will be..._

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><p><em>I hope you liked it and that some of my old readers will see this for I'm terribly sorry that I<em>_ (unintentionally)__ left such wonderful readers without a proper ending._

_Reviews are always welcome ;)_


	17. Chapter 17

_Hey there! I was really thrilled to discover that I actually got some reviews for my last chapter - and apparently even from two old readers of mine! I'm so happy! Sorry again, guys, for the inexcusable delay!_

_But here's the new chapter, I hope you like it... it's got a lot of Vegeta in it ;)_

**Little Runaway (17)**

Caleb and the boy who Bra had introduced to them as her brother Trunks loaded the last two men into one of the black jeeps they had come in.

Caleb was still amazed at the incomprehensible strength that seemed to be coursing through the veins of Bra's brother and father. Trunks had been lifting the big and heavily muscled men as if they were toys while Caleb could hardly keep himself from rubbing his own back which hurt due to the weight he'd carried.

Sweat was trickling down his forehead and Caleb wiped it away as he watched Trunks close the cargo bay of the vehicle. The only slightly older boy looked like he'd just packed away groceries, when he smiled at Caleb with a winning grin that Caleb had seen before on Bra. Even though they didn't look much alike at first glance there was no denying the family-resemblance.

"I think we've got them all put away," Trunks said, looking content with himself and Caleb couldn't help but wonder at the life the boy was leading if he thought so little about packing humans in a cargo bay.

Then again, this was Trunks _Briefs_, son of Bulma Briefs. It was still difficult for Caleb to wrap his mind around the fact that Bra Briefs was the daughter of the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world. No wonder the girl had seemed a little high and mighty once she had dropped her act around him.

Bulma Briefs herself seemed like a complex woman. One minute she'd been crying with Bra in her arms, telling her daughter to never ever put her through such misery again. Then in the next she'd snapped at her son and husband to "get the hell rid of these freaking scumbags" once she'd learned that the men dressed in black had tried to hurt her baby.

But the person that troubled Caleb the most was Bra's father. Vegeta Briefs seemed to have two very different sides to him.

On the one hand he was a father who'd obviously missed his daughter and loved his family deeply. It was apparent in the way he always stayed close to Bra and how he'd soothingly rubbed her back when she'd cried in his arms earlier. He'd also hugged his wife protectively when she'd cried from the joy of having her youngest back with her.

But the man's other side chilled Caleb to the bone. He'd seen the way Vegeta had looked at the men on the ground and there had been no compassion in his gaze. And while Caleb felt a bitter resentment towards the men for having destroyed his former home, he very much doubted that he could ever mete out what Vegeta had most likely in store for them.

"I need to speak with you, boy," a deep voice suddenly rang out, startling Caleb. He twirled around, his body tensing as if readying itself for an attack. _Speak of the devil and he is bound to appear_, Caleb thought as he came face to face with the man he'd just been thinking about.

Vegeta was leaning against the side of one of the black jeeps, his arms crossed in front of his chest as they seemed to be most of the time. His features were set into a scowl which made him look mean and brooding.

When Vegeta started walking towards him, Caleb couldn't help but swallow. It was like the man was emanating invisible energy that pressed against Caleb's chest and made it hard for him to breathe. Instead of stopping in front of Caleb, however, Vegeta walked past him without another word and disappeared into the forest.

Caleb looked after him, his eyes fixed on the spot where the man's form had just disappeared into the shadows of the trees. Confusion made his forehead crease as he looked over at Trunks.

"You'd better follow him," the boy told him, apparently not reading anything strange into his own father's behavior. "He's not a man of many words," he added, as if that was an explanation. _No shit, Sherlock_, Caleb thought as he slowly started walking towards the dark trees.

The sun had not yet come up and so it was pitch black when Caleb entered the forest. "Too bad it's not a full moon," he whispered, wishing the moon was bigger today so that there would be a little more light in the dark.

"Ironic. More than once in my life I have thought the exact same thing," Vegeta's voice rang out from close by and Caleb turned to face the formless sound. A ghostly chuckle that made Caleb's blood run cold followed the statement. "Though, of course, I had a very peculiar reason at the time..."

Caleb raised his eyebrows questioningly but then decided that he most likely didn't even want to know that ominous reason. Judging from the tone of Vegeta's voice it was nothing all too pleasant anyway.

"You wanted to speak with me," Caleb stated, waiting for Vegeta to say something. Instead there was suddenly a bright light that blinded Caleb's eyes momentarily. When he blinked he was pretty goddamn sure that he was hallucinating.

The man's hand was glowing in a blue that was so bright that the light looked almost white. Caleb stumbled a step back, keeping his eyes locked on Vegeta's glowing hand. "What the hell?" the boy whispered, his voice stunned.

Vegeta's face was twisted into a frown and he looked disgusted by Caleb's apparent fear of the light. "It's Ki, boy, nothing you need to concern yourself with."

Caleb swallowed, but then he squared his shoulders. "You wanted to talk to me?" he repeated, this time making it sound like a question. If it was even possible then Vegeta's expression grew even darker.

"What do you know about the men that burned down the house?" The question caught Caleb off guard, but he schooled his features only a second later. His gaze turned the way he'd come. What did it matter what he knew about those men? They were unconscious and stored in the back of their own vehicles. To him it looked like all was well. They'd won.

Well, almost won. His thoughts grew dark as he thought of the big pile of ash that had been left of his former beloved home. _Ann is okay and so are the kids. After what happened it would be foolish to ask for more._

It was true. Things could have gotten a lot worse, had it not been for Bra's brother and father showing up when they did. Caleb was thankful for their help and while he was sure that Trunks was a good man, he couldn't help but wonder if Vegeta had helped them had it not been for the sake of his daughter.

"Answer me, boy," Vegeta snapped at him and Caleb was so startled by the sudden sound that he almost stumbled over his own feet. _Probably not._

"Not much," Caleb said, fighting his own fear. Maybe it was just the strange glow of that light – Ki, whatever – but Vegeta's face looked deadly as he waited for his answer.

"They first started coming here two weeks ago. Back then they tried to just tell us to go away. Apparently there is some treasure map that lead them straight here, beats me, I've never seen it." Apparently Vegeta had not yet heard what he wanted to know for his facial expression was still tense. Caleb swallowed hard, felt his Adam's apple bop painfully in his dry throat and continued.

"I don't know where they came from... Just once I heard one hiss at the other that 'Mister LaRoche' is not going to be happy if they come back empty handed again...," Caleb trailed off as he saw a smirk cross Vegeta's lips.

"What?" he asked, confused by the sudden evil excitement in the man's eyes. Vegeta gave him a mean look.

"Don't you watch the news, boy? Charles LaRoche is a rather well-known man. He's got his hands in all sorts of things," Vegeta told him, his gaze drifting to the side, finally leaving Caleb's face for a second. Caleb was so glad to be free of those penetrating eyes that he didn't even bother to remind the man that he'd been living in the middle of nowhere with no TV or newspaper for some time now. How would he know what went on in the outside world?

"I remember how the woman told me that she met him once at a conference and got the chills when he shook her hand... I should have killed him right then and there...," Vegeta's voice trailed off.

At once Caleb realized several things. For one, when Vegeta said 'the woman' he was obviously talking about his own wife – naturally talking about her as if she were the only woman worth mentioning and therefore everyone just had to know who he was referring to. It was also clear that Caleb's earlier assumption about Vegeta's protectiveness of his family was dead on – and that the man was most likely not one hundred percent lucid.

It made Caleb's blood run cold the way Vegeta said that he should have killed LaRoche. Wistful, like someone saying '_I should have brought an umbrella_' or '_I'm so tired, I should have gone to bed earlier last night_'. As if killing someone was something ordinary that happened everyday.

Then Vegeta's eyes returned to Caleb's face. He raised an eyebrow at him, then gave him a stern look.

"If you breathe so much as a word of this conversation to any member of my family, I swear to you, boy, you are going to regret ever having met me," Vegeta said, his tone quiet, but the threat sounded very much real even without a raised voice.

Then Vegeta stalked off, the light disappearing from his hand as he made his way out of the forest. Caleb stood there a few more moments, calming his own nerves with some deep breaths.

_Too late,_ he thought, _I already do._

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><p><em>I'd love to hear what you guys think - no matter if it's thought on what Vegeta plans to do with the infromation he just got or if it's about how in-character (or not) he was in this little scene!<em>

_I simply love to hear you guys' opinions so if you want to, feel free to leave a review!_


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey there!_

_I've been sick for a few days, so I'm glad I finally found the time to put up this new chapter ;)_

_I'll put answers to a few reviews at the end of the chapter (so that I won't be annoying those who don't wanna read them by having to scroll so much ;P)_

_I hope you enjoy this chapter^^_

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><p><strong>Little Runaway (18)<strong>

Bra sat on her mother's lap, listening to her talking to Ann. Bra got the feeling that, like her, Bulma had taken an immediate liking to the girl.

Ann was a great, extremely bright girl. Still, it'd been hard to explain the recent events to her while Bulma was ordering her brother and father around...

**Flashback**

"_So that's your family, huh?" Ann asked, one eyebrow raised in question. Her tone clearly revealed her inability to really believe what she was seeing. _

_Right now Bulma was poking her forefinger into Vegeta's chest, telling him to get rid of those "insects" - as she referred to the still unconscious men clad in black. _

"_Your mum is like a hurricane," Ann whispered before Bra could reply to her earlier – probably rhetoric, Bra still had to figure out how that stuff worked – question. Now it was Bra's turn to raise an eyebrow._

_Ann's tone sounded amazed and there was a shimmer in her eyes that reminded Bra of worship. _

"_What do you mean?" Bra asked her, surprised by Ann's expression. A slow smile tugged at the corners of Ann's lips. _

"_Look at her go!" she murmured. "Your father is scary as hell... Oh, and from what I've seen he can most likely lift cars." _That_ comment made Bra's eyebrows draw together._

_Yeah, her Dad could lift cars. She'd seen him do it and so had a few other people – who'd definitely never forget the sight... It was safe to say that her Dad wasn't all too fond of the paparazzi. _

_After that incident however, not many of them had dared to show their faces again. Especially not the guy whose car had made a noisy crash into a huge tree... Had the car not been a big, heavy Jeep, it might have even stayed up there in that tree top._

_As a result it had gotten a whole lot quieter around the Briefs' residence after that, much to Bulma's delight. She'd used the new-found privacy to sunbathe in the yard without seeing herself plastered on the front of some magazine the next day..._

_Ann's voice brought Bra back to reality._

"_But she's fearless, makes HIM take steps back," Ann finished her earlier statement, her eyes fixed on Bra's parents as if she were watching some fancy TV-series._

_Bra couldn't help but smile at that. Yeah, her mother was a force to be reckoned with, that was for sure. _

"_Well, she _is_ my mum," Bra grinned at Ann, but for some reason Ann's face turned into a frown._

"_You were great back there...," she said and Bra would have been pleased by the compliment, had she not known that there was more to come. "... and far stronger than any girl your age I have ever met. Hell, _any _girl, period."_

_Bra bit her lip, unsure of how to respond. But then she sighed, resigning herself to the fact that this was not going to be easy to explain. _

"_My Dad... he's not exactly from around here," she started, but when Ann looked at her with complete and utter confusion so clearly visible on her face, Bra gave up on trying to tell her in a subtle way._

"_He wasn't born on earth. He is the prince of an alien warrior race. Part of his genes was passed down, but I think that Trunks got more of it than me."_

_Ann's eyes were wide by the time Bra had stopped speaking and she exhaled in a rush. "Open mind, open mind," she muttered, making Bra worry that maybe she should have kept her mouth shut. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to tell the girl about extra-terrestrial life forms on her home planet when she had just lost almost everything she'd held dear._

"_So that makes you... a half-alien?" Ann asked, her voice so stunned that Bra wondered if the girl was going into shock. Then a bad thought hit her and her shoulders slumped._

"_Do you still want to be friends with me?" she asked carefully, her voice guarded as she tried to swallow the big lump she suddenly felt in her throat._

_She'd never told anyone about her heritage, there had never been a reason to. Ann rolled her eyes, shaking the feeling she'd no doubt had before._

"_Don't be silly! You and your family just saved my butt and you're a great girl. Why wouldn't I want to be friends with you?" she asked, giving Bra a nudge against her shoulder._

_Then they both laughed._

**End Flashback**

Now Bra worried about her friend, where she'd go from here... She turned around in her mother's arms and glanced up at that beloved face. Bulma seemed to read her mind and gave Bra's hips a light squeeze.

"Don't you worry, honey. Your mother is not only beautiful, but also ridiculously smart and wealthy," Bulma whispered, then gave her daughter a wink.

"This is nothing that a good will and a heap of money can't fix."

So Bra relaxed in her mother's arms and turned back to Ann with a wide grin.

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><p>Ten minutes later Bulma left the two girls to chat. She needed some alone-time to try and stomach everything she had learned so she went for a walk across the huge lawn.<p>

Her forehead creased as she had to wrap her arms around herself to keep from trembling. Bulma tried to tell herself it was because the night-air was slightly chilly, but with a sigh she had to admit the truth to herself. She was still shaken from what she'd learned, from how close to danger her baby had been today. It was a miracle that they had arrived in time, preventing any catastrophes from forever changing their lives.

"Don't wander off on your own," a voice behind her suddenly snapped, making Bulma whirl around with a hand raised over her now erratic heart.

"You're getting a freaking bell, mister, I swear you are!" she hissed at her husband, who stood only inches away from her, the usual scowl on his handsome face. He ignored her comment, but grabbed the hand she was holding up over her chest in his firm grasp instead.

"You stay close to Trunks or me when we are not at home, understood?" Vegeta said, his voice stern. Bulma's eyebrows pulled together as she realized the tension that visibly radiated through her husband's body.

He was not what one would call a relaxed man to begin with. Vegeta was always vibrating with energy, almost as if he had somehow found a way to manifest his willpower and give it a physical body that surrounded him like a barrier. But Bulma knew him well, knew that this was different.

"First, I've spent my life not doing whatever you dogmatically order, why on earth would I start now? Second, what are you planing?" Bulma saw the displeasure on his face, knew that the vein throbbing at his temple was not a good sign, but, well, she didn't give a fuck.

"Do not try my patience right now, woman," he said between gritted teeth. Bulma just raised an eyebrow in return.

"You do realize that you're talking to your wife, right? The one who knows you better than anyone and is not going to be intimidated by your bad attitude? You know that I've got your number, Vegeta," Bulma replied, not impressed by the way he took even half a step closer to her, so that they were toe-to-toe.

"Goddamn it, woman. Get the hell back to the boy and..." Bulma cut her husband off by pressing her lips to his, silencing his angrily uttered words. His hands immediately settled on her hips, clutching her with a grip that was very tight, but didn't quite hurt. Considering that he had enough strength to crush her with ease one could even call it a caress.

When Bulma released him she flashed him a smile. "Better? Or are you still grouchy?" Vegeta's black eyes looked at her as if he was unsure whether he should strangle her or kiss her again. Then he shook his head as if to shake a thought. His forehead settled against hers and he took a deep breath.

"Go back to Trunks, Bulma. I want to know that you're safe," he whispered and Bulma settled her hands on his shoulders. They were as stiff as she hadn't felt them in ages. Then again, the recent events considered, Vegeta had a good reason to be stressed.

"Where are you going?" Vegeta's hands twitched on her hips at the question, squeezing her for a second. It was fairly obvious that he wasn't thrilled to answer that question.

"There's unfinished business," he murmured cryptically, but Bulma was fairly sure that she knew that he was referring to. She sighed. No matter what power she had over her husband, she knew that there was no way to deter him from his plans concerning this issue.

"Don't kill anyone," she requested, giving his shoulders a squeeze. There was silence for a moment. "I mean it, Vegeta. You can't kill anyone," she whispered. She'd still love him like crazy even if he did, but Bulma was afraid that a kill would alter him, take him back to a darker place.

Still Vegeta remained quiet and Bulma knew why. Her husband would never lie to her, so instead he chose to stay silent. She brought her hands to his cheeks, making him look at her.

"Promise me, Vegeta. Don't kill anyone, that's all I ask," she beseeched him, holding his gaze. It took a few moments, but then Vegeta growled as if she had just denied him something vital.

"Fine!" he spat, giving Bulma a hostile glare. "But that's all I'm consenting to, woman!"

Bulma knew what that meant and though she knew that noone would be losing their life tonight she still felt her skin crawl at the thought of what awaited them. Noone crossed her husband without paying for it – dearly. Well, noone outside her family and close circle of friends.

Vegeta took a step back, moving out of her reach. "Now go to Trunks. Stay with him until I return. And keep the little one close," Vegeta said in a commanding voice, but this time Bulma didn't berate him for it. He'd given her something, now it was her turn – compromising was the way their marriage had worked so well for years.

"I'd tell you to be careful, but I'd be surprised if you return with even a scratch," Bulma told her husband, a small smile on her lips. Vegeta snorted instead of answering. Then he gave his wife a quick nod before he took off into the air, leaving Bulma hoping that he would honor his word to her.

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><p><em>I hope you liked it ;)<em>

_So now, concerning the reviews:_

_First of all a big THANK YOU to those who took the precious time to leave a review, especially those who told me what they liked about the chapter ;)_

_ Oddballpunk: That was very sweet of you, thank you! I do think that taking care of myself first is the only way to do it, but still, I feel a little guilty sometimes (especially when stuck with a story...). I'm thrilled to hear that you think that my writing has improved ^^. It's what every writer longs to hear ;)._

_ Gothic-Romantic: Haha, well, I have to admit that I can not exactly take credit for the thought itself. 'The woman'- thing, and why Vegeta calls Bulma that, was actually something that I heard in the context of 'Sherlock Holmes'. Irene Adler was the only woman who ever intrigued Sherlock because of her wit; he, too, called her 'the woman'. She was special to him, so that was the reason.  
>I thought that Bulma was special to Vegeta, too, and that it's a possibility that this might be the reason for the nickname ;) it's kind of romantic so I went with that^^<br>_

_ oermione: I was planning on writing a Trunks/Bra-scene, especially since Bulma and Vegeta got their moments with our little heroine, too ;) Now I'll definitely include it in the next chapter! Stay tuned (sorry, I couldn't resist adding that ;P)._

_P.S.: Some of you mentioned the full moon-thing ;) Actually that was a kind of in-the-moment thought... I wanted there to be little light so that Vegeta could startle Caleb by using Ki so I threw in that 'wishing it was a full moon'-thing. As soon as I'd typed the words I couldn't resist adding the oozaru-related comment... it just seemed so... Vegeta XDI'm really glad you guys liked it ;)  
><em>

_You'll hear from me soon!_


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